The Solution to Homelessness is Housing

Maria went from living in her car to a stable, welcoming home with the support she needed.

For Maria, home is more than just a roof over her head—it’s the support she has been missing her whole life. After losing her home, she found herself living in her car along San Pablo Avenue, feeling lost and alone. But then she noticed a sign: “St. Mary’s Center.”

“I’m going to call them and see if they can help me,” Maria thought, and she got something she never expected: keys to a room in transitional housing that very same day.

With a safe and stable home at Hayward Depot Community, Maria was able to rebuild her health and regain her confidence. She soon realized she wasn’t alone—she became part of a welcoming community with people who cared about her wellbeing.

“When you support affordable housing, you support people like me.”

Now, Maria dreams of moving into the new senior apartments being developed by St. Mary’s Center in West Oakland—73 affordable homes that will transform a once-abandoned block into a accessible, thriving neighborhood.

Projects like these show that we already know what works, and we have the opportunity to open the door to a new future for our communities.

When it comes to homelessness, the solution is simple: it’s housing. 

 

 

3135 San Pablo Avenue

Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) and St. Mary’s Center are in the process of securing funding for 73 affordable homes for seniors, including those experiencing homelessness.

Maria’s story was told in collaboration with St. Mary’s Center as part of the Housing Justice Storytelling Initiative. St. Mary’s Center is a community of hope, healing and justice dedicated to improving the well-being of Seniors and Preschool Families in West Oakland by meeting basic needs for food, housing, and social connection.