ann's story

At 22, Ann was struggling. Working nights at the Jollibee was an anemic, minimum wage affair, and when business was brisk she would stay late to finish out the closing procedures: bleaching towels, filling condiment bins, stuffing napkin dispensers—critical jobs one and all.

But for Ann, staying late meant missing the evening’s final bus home. “What was I supposed to do?” she asked me. “I needed the extra money.” (The extra hour netted her about $4.90.)

“The problem was that I had to ask one of my co-workers for a ride home. I felt so ashamed.”

“What?”

As it turned out, when Ann and her fellow employee would get close to her place, she would initiate an elaborate ruse. “Okay, here we are,” she would say, having her colleague drop her off around the block from where she actually slept. Having him pull over in front of an apartment complex she had never, in fact, visited, Ann would exit the vehicle with a chipper, “See you tomorrow!”

“Do you want me to wait until you get in?” the driver would inevitably ask, to which Ann would reply, “Oh no, I’m fine. Thank you—good night."

She would then walk up the path to the complex, and as soon as her friend would drive off, she would retrace her steps and walk back around the block to where she actually spent her nights: the homeless shelter.

“I hated being homeless.”

That was seven years ago, and a lot has changed for Ann since then. She has two beautiful children, her own car, and lives with her children’s father in her own place just around the corner from Sacred Heart.

But she is still struggling.

Ann now works three jobs, and even these aren’t enough to provide for her young family’s basic needs. The four of them are squeezed into a one-room apartment; her boyfriend is unemployed; they have no health insurance; and she relies on CalWORKS for her childcare.

She has come to Sacred Heart for help with obtaining employment, for her Thanksgiving turkey, for her infant’s diapers, and not long ago she received an eviction notice that she was only able to fend off through the help of Sacred Heart’s Emergency Rental Assistance program.

Recently, when her car broke down, she took it to a mechanic. Unable to pay for the repairs, the car is still being held at the shop until the entire bill can be paid. And as of today she has been unable to pay this month's rent.

We have asked Ann to help those of us who have never experienced the frustrations, the desperation, or the hopelessness of poverty. Within the next day or two, Ann will begin using our Facebook page to give regular updates on her day-to-day activities. We invite you to comment on her posts, ask questions, or otherwise share your reactions (although we can't guarantee that she will respond).

This is an experimental program, and we are grateful for Ann’s vulnerability and willingness to take this on in service to the broader community. Our hope is that this conversation will begin to build the foundations of solidarity between the poor and the prosperous, and that on this foundation we might create a culture in which poverty is no longer acceptable.