Posted
Maria’s story begins at six years old, when she and her family traveled to the United States in search of a better life. Today, the Pacific Northwest is the only home that she remembers, and she is surrounded by her chosen family.
Maria had struggled with alcoholism in the past but had made tremendous steps in recovery when her mentor, whom she also called “Mom”, Jan, passed away in 2020. The combined blow of losing the person who first helped her recover from alcohol addiction the year prior, depression, and the widespread impact of COVID, pushed Maria into homelessness and back into active addiction.
Through this challenging time, she held onto a ring engraved by her friend and chosen sister to remind her of the impact Jan had on her life and her commitment to recovery. Maria took the first step towards stable housing when she stayed at a shelter operated by Union Gospel Mission. Because of that stepping stone, Maria entered recovery and has remained sober for over four years.
After staying in shelter for over a year, Maria was in limbo and ready for the next step, even as she worried that her immigration status would be a barrier to moving into an apartment. At this point, she connected with the Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) and qualified for a rapid rehousing voucher, which pairs two years of rental assistance with case management.
This voucher is funded by the regional voter-approved Supportive Housing Services measure, which invests in proven solutions for people experiencing homelessness to attain stable housing, including rent assistance, case management, shelter, and outreach.
Maria worked with her IRCO case manager weekly, and together they found the apartment that she moved into in June 2024. “It was hard for me to believe until I had the key in my hand,” Maria says of her apartment. Moving into her own apartment has had a dramatic effect on Maria’s health.
“Thanks to my housing, my diet has changed,” she shared. “I was diagnosed with diabetes, but now that I have a kitchen and a home base, I have a place to cook and eat my meals. I’ve already lost forty pounds, and my goal is to get back to pre-diabetic levels.”
After settling into her apartment and adopting a cat named Leia, Maria was looking for the next step. “My first question was, because of my legal status, can I start a business? I got my first job in cleaning fields, and now it’s just something I’m really good at.”
What happened next? IRCO connected Maria with their Career Start Program where she has been able to take small business classes and prepare for licensing for her cleaning business!
Moving forward, Maria hopes that her business will reflect the hard work she has put in so that she can give back and support others in her community. She is thankful to her chosen family, who never gave up on her, and honors Jan’s legacy through her testimony of resilience.