SAN ANTONIO – This week is Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, and San Antonio area nonprofits and agencies are teaming up to house 90 homeless families in 90 days.
“It makes me want to cry because it truly is a blessing to be able in two weeks to walk in our own place,” said Malaurie Quinones.
Quinones has been staying at Haven for Hope for seven months but soon will have a place of her own to call home.
“When I first got here, it was hard because, being a single parent, having to come to a homeless shelter, it’s scary because you don’t know what can happen from one day to the next,” said Quinones.
With rising housing costs and inflation, Haven for Hope and other local agencies like Close to Home — formerly SARAH — and SAMMinistries launched the 90-day challenge to help homeless families.
“For every hundred dollars in rent increase, homelessness increases by 9%,” said Katie Givens, director of Communications and Development for Close to Home. “Haven for Hope is at overflow max capacity with housing families.”
With the help of Haven for Hope and the SAMMinistries rapid housing program, Quinones is getting a chance to start over and give her 3-year-old daughter a different life.
“I don’t want this to be normal to her. I want to show her no matter what you go through, as long as you do what you’re supposed to do, you can be anything,” said Quinones. “Haven does help a lot. You just got to have the initiative. It gave me a lot of direction in my life, so it was the best choice I made for me and my daughter.”
As part of this week’s events for Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, Haven for Hope will host an unsheltered open house at its resource center on Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Haven for Hope is providing a shuttle from Corazon Day Center.
“People can learn about the resources that we have. They can tour the campus and have a meal,” said Terri Behling, director of Communications for Haven for Hope. “We’re going to be handing out winter coats. We’re going to be offering free haircuts. So, really give people who have never tried Haven before an opportunity to see what is here and what’s available for them.”
Quinones has benefitted from those services and hopes to move into her new home by Thanksgiving.
“All I’ve ever wanted was for my baby to have her own place, and now she’s about to have it. That’s her Christmas gift from me,” said Quinones.