“Excuse me, Ms. Espinoza!”
As Lena Espinoza was leaving a viewing of an apartment in Whittier, she stopped to see who had called her name.
It was the landlord who just showed the unit to her and some other people who were interested.
“Yes?” Lena curiously replied.
For the past five months, Lena had persistently been seeking a home for herself and her daughter, and with her housing voucher soon expiring, she felt the urgency to find a place. However, she had a history of evictions and a low credit score that she knew landlords didn’t take kindly to. Nevertheless, she decided to keep trying and arrived at the apartment viewing in Whittier open and honest, explaining her story and situation to the landlord.
As Lena stood a short distance away from the apartment, the landlord quickly approached her and asked in one breath, “Do you have all your housing papers with you?”
Lena became excited. Throughout her search, she had encountered many landlords and was only considered by one until it fell through. She knew that if this landlord was asking for her papers after everything she revealed to them, she might have a chance. Lena beamed and thought to herself, “This landlord has interest in me!”
***
Lena describes her past as “total chaos.” She struggled with addiction, lost her job and housing, the relationship with her family became strained, and she found herself in an abusive relationship. Lena shares, “When you’re addicted to drugs, you do things that you never thought you’d do and wind up in places that you never thought you’d be.” All of this brought her to a low, and she eventually entered rehab to detox and start her journey towards sobriety.
Lena’s path to recovery was a hard one, but she never gave up. She stayed at Little House, a residential treatment program in Bellflower, and worked on improving other aspects of her life, too. She was persistent in getting her record expunged to remove the barrier to work while still applying for jobs in hopes that an employer would give her a chance despite her record. In addition, she worked on a plan for her housing, and she met with a therapist to support her emotional wellness. It took a lot of work and diligence on Lena’s part, and it all paid off.
On the day she left Little House, she received several calls that had her and her daughter jumping for joy and exclaiming “God’s on our side!” First, she received a call informing her that she had been approved for a Section 8 Housing Voucher, which would help her pay for rent. Then, she received a call from the Public Defender’s Office that let her know her record had been expunged. Finally, the “cherry on top” came in the form of a third phone call from the county, informing Lena that they had accepted her for a job.
This was all great news for Lena and her daughter, but it presented new hardships that would demand the same perseverance from Lena. During this season, one of her biggest challenges was finding a home. Although she now had a housing voucher, she faced other barriers to housing, such as having a low credit score and a history of evictions all while searching in a competitive market. No matter how hard she tried to reason with property management companies and explain that the things she had on her record were old, they would not give her a chance. Regardless of receiving multiple rejections, Lena was motivated by her daughter’s well-being to continue and spent many of her weekends and lunch breaks searching for a home.
As Lena ran into the same obstacles on her path to housing, she tried a different approach. She made amends with past property management companies that she owed by paying them back. She went to court to try and remove her old evictions from her record. She wrote letters to credit bureaus to remove old information and improve her credit score. In the meantime, she kept applying for units, which lead her to the apartment viewing in Whittier. Although she was used to hearing the word “no” from property management companies, Lena was ready to put herself out there again to see if she could finally meet a landlord who would give her a chance.
And guess what? This landlord did! At the showing, the landlord took the time to listen to Lena’s situation and find a way to work with her, reassuring Lena they would only consider her past year’s credit history. After only waiting a day, Lena received a call from the landlord congratulating her and letting her know that she was going to give her the apartment.
After five and a half months of searching, Lena got the keys to her new home in Whittier. She describes it as a “beautiful place to be” and close to where her daughter goes to school. One of her favorite things about having her own place is sharing dinner with her daughter and family members who visit. Having a home for just the two of them has given them special moments to bond as mother and daughter. Lena shares:
This morning my daughter and I got ready for our day together. She got ready for school while I got ready for work, and she walked me to the door and said, ‘Have a good day. I’m so proud of you.’ That just melted my heart. I get emotional talking about her, because she has really been through so much, and she is such a good girl.
Lena’s journey to housing has not been easy. She had to work hard to get to where she is today, and even though she’s found her way home, her story does not end here. She still has plenty of ambition and a lot of life to live. Although she’s beyond grateful for her housing situation and where she’s at in her career, she sees them both as stepping stones for something even greater in her future. But for now, she has hope for today, sharing, “Today I’m sober. Today I’m working...Today my relationships are restored. I’m in a way better place, by the grace of God.”
How to pray for Lena:
Pray that Lena continues to flourish and experience healing through healthy relationships with her family, neighbors, work, church, and recovery groups.
Pray that the Lord grants the desires of Lena’s and her daughter’s hearts that align with His will for them.
Give a word of praise to God for Lena as she has reached eight months of sobriety!
Originally written for the KCB blog titled “Welcome Home, Lena”. You can find the source article here.