A Home for Jane!

If you haven't been following Jane's story, she slept on this bench in a shopping center every night for more than two years. The management let her stay on the bench as long as she kept her feet on the ground and did not lay on the bench or the ground, so this is how she slept, even in the winter.

This is where she lived, and this is all she had. She is 69 years old. She kept no money or other possessions because they would make her vulnerable. She relied on community members for food, and a nearby supermarket let her use the restroom.

Despite her circumstances, she's a sweet and warmhearted person who is always thankful for any help she is given. She has not shared the story of how she became homeless.

Thankfully, due to the generosity of our wonderful community, she was able to stay in a motel for several months, and after a long wait, she was given a room in a short-term Project Roomkey program, which is where she is now. We didn't know what would happen at the end of her stay.

We now have some wonderful news: Jane will be getting an apartment! After all this time, she'll have a real home of her own.

After a slow few months in the Roomkey program, things started heating up for Jane last month when we were told there might be a place available for her. There were lots of documents and paperwork, an enormous application, a couple of interviews, and then weeks of waiting to find out if she'd get in, and she made it! The program staff have been wonderful - patient, caring, competent and diligent. We're not sure when she'll be moving in; it might be sometime in December.

Although Jane has been safe and warm these past months, she still has no possessions except a walker and the lunch bag she used as a pillow when she slept outside. She doesn't yet have an income due to some issues that still need to be addressed. SOS Richmond has agreed to cover her expenses until she is able, but we don't have grants that cover this type of thing.

So, we are turning to the community again to help Jane start her new life.

We'll need to set up her new place, and keep her cupboards and refrigerator stocked! It's been so long since she's had a kitchen, she's still trying to take it in.

Any contribution you can make will be immensely appreciated. Donations made through this page are tax deductible.

If you would prefer to write a check, please make it out to SOS Richmond, write "Jane" in the memo line, and mail it to: SOS Richmond, 23 Maine Avenue #16, Richmond, CA 94804. Checks are tax deductible as well.

Thank you so much!