PROVIDING A HOME, HOPE
For four months last year after they were evicted, they had nowhere to go.
Nohemi Ramirez and her mother lived in their car, wondering each day what the next would bring.
“We would sleep in front of Kmart, and places that were open 24 hours,” she said. “We would go to places where the bathroom was open, like Mcdonald’s. We would go to the YMCA or to beaches to take showers.”
The weather added to the burden. One day they were near their breaking point.
“It was so cold,” Ramirez said. “We went to the shelter. Thankfully, they had a bed for us. They welcomed us with love.”
Since 1983, Pajaro Valley Shelter Services has provided emergency housing for roughly 7,000 people who have been in similar desperate straits. Often single mothers with children who have been evicted or who have suffered domestic violence with no place to go, the shelter embraces them and gives them hope.
But the nonprofit charity doesn’t just provide handouts. It requires people to become self sufficient by teaching everything from financial literacy to English as a second language, and also helping them get their GEDS, connecting them with jobs, or helping them qualify for college or vocational training.
“We’re really trying to build a foundation under a family’s feet for long-term sustainability and happiness,” said Mike Johnson, the shelter’s executive director. “We’re trying to teach families skills, abilities and attitudes that they can leverage to build a great future.”