Nancy V and Carlos G watched helplessly on Friday as Richmond CA city employees dismantled and towed away their RV where they had been living with their two teenage children. The RV was parked illegally near Civic Center and was declared unsafe by city officials. The kids, 13 and 18, came home from school to find the family’s worldly possessions stacked up on the curb and no place to sleep that night. On top of one of the piles: a purple violin, a present from Nancy and Carlos to their daughter on her 13th birthday two days ago.

Due to the recent spike in requests for shelter in the rain's aftermath, there was no available space in Contra Costa County’s CORE outreach program. Later through the intense efforts of SOS Richmond and Sally Vilaysack, the family's case manager at GRIP (Greater Richmond Interfaith Project), funds were secured to pay for a motel room with two beds for the weekend. Monday morning the family will again be homeless and CORE will try again to secure stable interim shelter.

Carlos is under a doctor’s care for severe asthma and a collapsed lung. He has had two recent heart attacks. He worked for a construction company for over 15 years, doing concrete, irrigation systems and plumbing. “But when covid hit,” he said, “It was like ‘everybody go home’. There was no work. We couldn't afford the rent. I bought an RV for $2500 so we would have someplace to live.” Recently he has been helping out at an auto repair shop in Richmond. “I have to keep working because I need to take care of my kids”, he said. Nancy worked as a house cleaner, but lost most of her jobs because of covid.

SOS is raising funds to pay the family's motel bill after Monday, and to purchase a used but liveable RV to replace their lost home and provide a more permanent basic shelter. The RV will be located in a safe off-street location provided by a local church. Please donate whatever you can to help this devastated family.