At the age of 19, I moved from Oklahoma to California with only $25 in my pocket in search of better opportunities. For a while it was rough – I didn’t have a job and I didn’t have a permanent place to live. In fact, I spent many months sleeping on couches while temporarily staying at the home of friends.Since then, I have overcome plenty of adversity in my life. Early on I was told to never ever give up, and — from Oklahoma City to Lawndale – I never have.
If this epidemic has shown us anything, it’s that despite a strong economy many families are only one paycheck away from losing their homes. California is the fifth largest economy in the world, but our state’s homelessness crisis has reached unprecedented levels.