“Being homeless is not easy and the home share program has relieved a lot of the anxiety I had when living in my vehicle.”

Crystal became homeless her freshman year of college. She lived in shelters, slept on friend’s couches, in emergency housing, and her car. But she knew that these things were only a Band-Aid over the real problem. The challenges she faced while looking for housing were vast, including high cost of rent and co-signers for college students. She found herself sleeping in her cold car most nights, or being kicked out of different areas when people called the police who saw her sleeping in her car. Most of the time she had to wash her hair in the sink at school or get to her job really, really early so nobody would see her brushing her teeth. If she could find a quiet place to park, she would open all the doors in her car and let the laundry that she hand washed in the sink dry on the doors. She would spend many nights in Starbucks parking lots so that she could use her computer to study and do homework.

The HomeShare OC program helped Crystal by matching her with a 55+ homeowner who has a spare bedroom. Now she can live under a roof in her own private space, and focus on school and her job with a brighter outlook.