Mercy House a ‘treasure’
CHAT operation provides long-term living for chronically ill people
With multiple people suffering medical complications while living unhoused, a local nonprofit secured an option to house several.
Chico Housing Action Team officially secured Mercy House for housing several medically vulnerable or unstable people displaced on the streets and began placing people in the house in February.
Executive Director Leslie Johnson and program manager Mark Alvarez confirmed Monday four in total were approved for moving in to the four-bedroom house. The location was secured with help from Chico’s Faith Lutheran Church, with help from Pastor Ben Colahan, whose mother Patricia Colahan-Ireta bought the house as an investment to rent to CHAT.
“Jesus says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” he said. He’s worked for years with CHAT and his mother worked with Johnson on the idea for the home. It was finally secured in January when the house’s sale was completed and CHAT opened for applicants.
“We didn’t plan it, it was something that was brought to us,” Johnson said.
She made it clear that Mercy House is not designed as respite housing, where people without housing stay temporarily while getting treatment. Instead, this housing is intended as long term living for the chronically ill to settle in a rental shared house, with some oversight and case management through volunteers and Faith Lutheran Church. Colahan said the church is partnering with other faith organizations to recruit volunteers in this capacity.
Patients share stories
On Friday, three of the approved roommates shared their stories. Alvarez said a pool of possible tenants was already known and he took applications based on the level of need.
“These ladies are a wonderful testament to CHAT’s mission,” he said. Two were approved in February, and two more were approved April 1, with no more open spots.
Myrna Farmer, 53, said she lost her job of over 15 years due to program cuts and after suffering a heart attack. She lost her home, then ended up sleeping in her car for about two years.
Farmer said this reality and eating only the cheapest fast food she could afford led to her new health problems, diabetes and chronic obesity, as she depended on food from Taco Bell and sleeping alone on a mattress in her pickup bed by the river.
“When you’re homeless and you’re broke, that burrito for $1.99 is pretty good,” she said. But she quickly began to suffer from chronic health concerns.
She went to the Jesus Center and called Butte 211, but applying for low income apartments, was told the waiting list was two to three years.
“Medically as unstable as I am, three years is looking way off,” she said. “It’s kind of shameful because I’ve worked my whole life. I just got sick one day and had a heart attack at work. I lost everything at that point.”
She said disability benefits are only about $400 a month and she could never afford having to earn three times the average rent in Chico, to qualify for an apartment.
Without CHAT, she said she was sure she would have died in her car, always in and out of the hospital.
“It felt good to sleep in a bed,” Farmer said, moved to tears. “I wanted my kids to see I’m OK. There’s people out there way worse off than me that need help. People need to realize this place helps, it really does.”
Stephanie, 50, said she was a homeowner whose custom built home caught on fire, and she used insurance money to live in one temporary home and then found another in Chico’s Avenues neighborhood. But the owner decided to retain residency, so in January with the COVID-19 eviction moratorium reconsidered, Stephanie was “basically evicted, because the owner has her right to live there.”
“I wasn’t really prepared for that to happen so fast. I work but am self employed … can’t make three times the rent to qualify for a home.” Stephanie said she teaches online and refurbishes antiques in local shops, and does not receive any assistance benefits.
After living in hotels, she worked to find affordable housing but also hit the waiting list and discovered issues renting with a registered service dog.
Then Stephanie found CHAT and applied to the Mercy House vacancy. A very private person, she struggled with the idea of roommates. Just when she was on the brink of turning down the offer, she met with her roommates and said she felt so supported by their kindness and lack of judgment, and chose to stay.
“I feel so bad for people I see on the street, I had no concept of the difficulties and the toll and the cost, mentally and emotionally — and there’s just so many repercussions for not having somewhere to be, somewhere to go to that’s your home,” she said.
Terri, 68, has multiple health issues including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fibromyalgia and an autoimmune disorder. She lost her home with a roommate who became terminally ill in the summer of 2020, and lived on social security benefits while sleeping in her car.
Terri said she “didn’t have the luxury of couch surfing” with friends, but was grateful to have an established medical provider who was understanding of her situation while still getting medical treatment.
Butte 211 then directed her to CHAT.
“All it takes is one little thing to make your whole house of cards fall,” she said.
“Being homeless, it gives you an entire different outlook on life. But when you can see a light at the end of the tunnel and you start to decompress because you’re somewhere safe … you realize you have to be an advocate of these people. I’m grateful every single day I have a roof over my head and I have the ability to pay my bills to be here.”
An overwhelming need
There is so much need for this kind of housing, Johnson said CHAT received far more applications than could be filled. The church also helped spread the word about the house’s availability.
“I wish we could open six more houses like this,” she said. “So many homeless are medically fragile or disabled.”
However, the number of applications helps show the amount of need and document the severity of the issue, Johnson said.
“It’s frustrating when you realize you’re barely helping scratch the surface of what’s needed,” she said. “If we’re trying to save lives, we’re going to have to start housing people.”
“I wish we could open six more houses like this. So many homeless are medically fragile or disabled.”
— Leslie Johnson