Four people who once lived on the streets or in shelters help United to End Homelessness raise awareness.
They were introduced to their Zoom audience as four “survivors” of homelessness in Orange County — one man and three women, with different experiences on the streets and in emergency shelters. All are housed now but their journeys to their front doors were not easy.
Robert Morse, 72, lived the greater part of 11 years on the sidewalks of Costa Mesa. He was 54 when the cab company he worked for folded, tumbling him into homelessness.
Two of the women fled abusive relationships. Deborah Kraft, 56, spent six years in emergency shelters, waiting for a housing opportunity that didn’t come until a year ago. Kymberly Mcclain, 40, lived in shelter programs for a much shorter period. But she had to figure out on her own how to become independent.
Elizabeth Casillas, a 51-year-old disabled single mom moved the quickest along a path to subsidized housing, but still lives with the fear of becoming homeless again.