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Dear Friend,
When Christina, a Housing Navigator on the Street Outreach and Housing team, met Eleanor and James, the elderly couple was living in their car—grateful to have each other, but terrified of what the future might hold. Their greatest fear wasn’t just remaining unhoused; it was dying in their car.
About six years ago, they were living in a unit without running water or electricity. Eventually, they were wrongfully evicted from the uninhabitable space. That eviction has followed them ever since, becoming a major barrier in their search for permanent housing.
Determined to help, Christina connected Eleanor and James with Neighborhood Legal Services. Now, they’re working to get the wrongful eviction cleared from their record, a critical step toward the home they’ve long deserved. They have also been moved into a Safe Parking program to keep them safer while they wait for developments.
Their journey isn’t over, but with the right support and a path to justice, hope is finally back on the horizon.
While we are always happy when we can help people, there are times when our efforts aren’t enough. Folks have been asking us if our clients have been affected by the ICE raids and detentions. Until now, there have been a few people afraid to leave their homes, but last week it hit us directly.
A family our Outreach team has been working with for over a year finally got housed: a husband, wife, and child. However, when they went to their regular immigration check-in, as they have always done, ICE separated the family and detained the husband. He was put in handcuffs and taken away.
Two of our outreach staff tried desperately to find out what happened and where he was. At first, they were told he was taken to Adelanto Detention Center, but when they called, they were told he was in San Diego. As of today, we don’t know his whereabouts. The wife and child remain in their new home, distraught, as yet another family is ripped apart. We will continue to support them as best we can.
Finally, we are heading into Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of summer. It is also a time when we acknowledge the hard work and dedication of those who labor to keep our communities functioning, allowing everyone else to enjoy themselves. I hope we can all thank those who will be working this weekend and continue to fight for justice, living wages, and safe conditions for all those who work in our communities.
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