Woman finds hope after homelessness
Written by Julie Borgen, Twin Cities Media Relations Director for The Salvation Army Northern Division
Locking the door at night, using a private bathroom, decorating your own home – these are things most of us take for granted. But for 65-year-old Sue (pictured), they are luxuries she was afraid she might never enjoy again.
“Being here where it’s safe and clean, I can’t tell you how much it’s helped me,” she said. “I was homeless before moving here.”
‘Here’ is a Salvation Army housing facility called HOPE Harbor. The 96-unit, supportive housing complex in downtown Minneapolis is designed for low-income, single adults and those who have experienced chronic homelessness.
“Once people can stop being panicked about what am I going eat, where am I going to sleep, they can start focusing on rebuilding their lives,” explained Bronwen Tynddol, case manager at HOPE Harbor.
Before landing an efficiency apartment here in December 2015 (pictured), Sue was on a year-long waiting list and lived at The Salvation Army Harbor Light Shelter across the street.
“I don’t know how I made it, to tell the truth,” she said. “When you’re in the shelter, you share a room with eight to 10 women; you have no privacy.”
A nurse for many years, Sue says her life spiraled down after her husband died of a heart attack – on her birthday – in 2004.
“I had a nervous breakdown and I lost everything,” she explained. “I had always been very strong, I worked full time, took care of the kids. After this happened, I just couldn’t get it back together.”
After selling the family house in Minneapolis, Sue bounced around living in several apartments, and with her friends, and even in her car.
“I couldn’t afford the $800 a month, so I lived in some places with rats and mice and cockroaches — I just couldn’t do it,” she explained. That led her to Harbor Light, where she lived for over a year.
When Sue finally got the news that she could move into HOPE Harbor for $350 a month, she jumped at the chance. Quickly she made the space her own, decorating it with her favorite things.
“It’s given me stability and a future,” Sue said. “I have been here a year and I have no plans to leave.”
Tynddol says Sue is markedly more relaxed now and can begin focusing on her future again. She says supportive housing can be a safety net, or it can be a permanent home.
“Once people have stability, they can nest, like Sue has,” Tynddol explained.”When people move from living in a daily emergency to knowing they are home, then we can start connecting them with other resources, too.”
For Sue, that meant finding a program that is providing her with glasses – which she has needed for a long time, but couldn’t afford. Even more important, being home at HOPE Harbor lets her know she is no longer alone.
“Bronwen has helped me so much,” Sue explained. “She’s been like a daughter to me. She’s just a godsend.”
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