Jill's Circuitous Journey
Today she serves on the Housing Advisory Commission and the EveryoneHome Board, but her journey to them was a circuitous one. Most of her childhood and adult life is peppered with abuse, anxiety and aimless wandering, but because of the support she found through the staff of Berkeley Food and Housing Project’s North County Women’s Center, Jill finally found stability and a way to give back to society.
As a young girl growing up in the 1950s, Jill was obese. Her parents divorced. Doctors diagnosed her with learning disabilities. Needless to say, Jill did not socialize with her classmates, and often ate lunch alone. Her mother’s family considered her a failure and her mother verbally and physically abused her. By the time she was seventeen, Jill had run away from home.
She bounced from one place to another looking for shelter. Then, one night Jill walked into an open church at the end of a group counseling session. The church welcomed her and a family asked her to come live with them. Jill took care of their kids while putting herself through school – going to class in the morning and working in the evening. But by the time she reached twenty, Jill began to have problems again.
Anxiety and agoraphobia led to aimless wandering and institutionalization. Pregnant and homeless, she sought the help of a friend who let her live in his garage. Diabetic and diagnosed with heart disease, Jill came to Berkeley. After living on the streets for three years someone told her about Berkeley Food and Housing Project.
Jill came to the North County Women’s Center. She stayed here while the staff made certain that she received all that she needed to improve her life – meals, shelter, healthcare, counseling, financial stability, self-confidence. Eventually, BFHP was able to Jill move into her own apartment. Ever since then, she has been permanently housed.
Jill feels fortunate to have been connected with BFHP because her case manager was “the most honest, caring, kind, sensitive person who never made me feel in jeopardy of being back on the streets.”
Five years ago, Jill was able to secure her own condominium. She did not do it alone. Jill had a lot of community support, and credits her case manager for all of her help. “I never found her advice wanting. She helped me mold the situation so I could stay [in permanent housing]. It was like I had a family member.”
People began to ask Jill to participate in housing and homeless-related boards. She was appointed to the City of Berkeley’s Housing Commission and Alameda County’s EveryOne Home. Another group sent her to Washington to help lobby for the Housing Trust Fund. … Yes, Jill’s life has been a circuitous journey, and we are certainly glad that Berkeley Food and Housing Project was the stop that offered her a new direction and made permanent housing a reality.
