Margaret Diaz
Boccardo Reception Center Helps One Woman Succeed After Years on the Street
For Margaret Diaz, the road to stability and permanent housing has been a long and complicated one. For over 10 years, Margaret was trapped in an abusive relationship. When she finally escaped with her two children, Margaret left in a wheelchair, a victim of a particularly violent and final attack.
For a short time, Margaret lived with her sister, but the apartment quickly proved too small for so many. Moreover, Margaret’s disability made it difficult to secure permanent employment. Soon, Margaret’s sister had no other choice but to ask her to leave.
After living in motels, couch surfing with friends, and living in their car, they eventually found themselves living on the street. Homeless, without a support network or realistic prospects of finding housing, Margaret had no other choice but to give up her children to social services. Without them, she plunged into depression – alone, vulnerable, and without a place to call home. Two years passed in a haze of homelessness and despair.
Then, Margaret met Michael. Michael was also homeless. They instantly connected as friends, and protected each other from some of the pitfalls and predators of the street. They came to EHC’s Boccardo Reception Center in 2008 seeking help and a safe place to sleep at night, with the hope of eventually saving enough to move into a place of their own. Each year, the Boccardo Reception Center provides 2,900 homeless individuals with emergency shelter, basic needs assistance, and a wide-range of other support services.
After some time at the shelter, they were accepted into a program called the EHC Streets Team. The Streets Team aims to help shelter clients re-enter the work force and build self esteem. Participants are responsible for laundry and janitorial tasks at the shelter while getting job training, resume writing, and job search support. Margaret and Michael excelled in the program and quickly became team leaders.
While enrolled in the program, Margaret was also connected with EHC’s One-Stop Homeless Prevention Center. The One-Stop program is designed help clients secure permanent housing and provides a wide-range of support services to address the underlying causes of homelessness. Margaret received assistance securing a Section 8 voucher and bus tokens to transport her to critical medical appointments. “If it wasn’t for the One-Stop, I don’t think I would have got the Section 8 voucher. People at the One-Stop know how the system works and how to get through it,” said Margaret.
After years on the street, Margaret is upbeat and optimistic about the future. She plans to focus on getting healthy and even going back to school. With permanent housing, Margaret now firmly believes she can regain much of the life that was taken from her so many years ago.