Tabitha lives in Marin County, California, one of the most expensive counties in one of the most expensive states in the nation. In her early 20s, she was working, in love, and eight-and-a-half months pregnant with her first child when she was unexpectedly laid off, and her life took a turn toward chaos.
Eventually, Tabitha and her baby, Mateo, wound up in a homeless shelter run by Homeward Bound, an organization devoted to helping homeless families. The relationship with Mateo’s dad was over. Tabitha had lost her job. She was lonely and depressed, anxious about how she would get her young family back on track.
But Tabitha’s luck was about to change.
Homeward Bound was a partner with The Fireside Apartments, a low-income residence serving seniors, families, individuals with mental illness and those seeking refuge from homelessness. The Fireside holds a lottery for potential residents—and Tabitha's name was chosen.
The Fireside Apartments is a new construction development, consisting of 50 units of affordable housing, developed by Eden Housing. The development features the restoration of the historic Fireside Inn building, a Marin County landmark.
The project received a permanent loan of $475,000 and a capitalized operating subsidy in the amount of $250,000 from the Mental Health Services Act Housing Program, administered by the California Housing Finance Agency. Additional financing partners are the County of Marin and the Department of Housing and Community Development, among others. The Fireside is a shining example of Transit Oriented Development in its clustering of housing units within a quarter-mile walk of a new, safe pedestrian route to the adjoining Manzanita Park and Ride, Marin County’s second largest transit node.
It's now a whole different ballgame. Tabitha says, "I'm able to provide for my son on my own. I'm enrolled in college to get my Associates Degree. [Having a home at Fireside has] helped me to get back on my feet, helped me see the progress that I've made through the past couple of months."
The Fireside provides a host of services for their residents. They partner with Adopt-a-Family of Marin, which helps link community donations to needy families. Tabitha has regular counseling sessions to help her make sense of the turmoil, and parenting lessons to make sure Mateo gets the love and care he needs, both in a warm, supportive environment. Tabitha says, "It's nice to know there are other people who went through the same thing who we can rely on."
Her long term goals are to finish out her business degree (partner organizations also provide day care for Mateo, who's now 20 months old) and eventually work for an organization like Adopt-a-Family: "Those organizations were there to help me when I needed it the most, and if it wasn't for the people, I don't feel like I'd be in a spot where I'm able to succeed. My goal is to give back the way they gave to us."
To learn more about California Housing Finance Agency, visit their website.
For more information on Supportive Housing, see our advocacy page.
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