Home for the Holidays

Laura’s Story

By The Department Of Homelessness & Supportive Housing

Two years ago, Laura was pregnant and homeless in San Francisco. After leaving an emotionally unstable household, Laura found herself navigating a cold and hard winter by couch surfing at a cousin’s house. Connecting with Compass Family Services, Laura and her baby found temporary respite at the Oasis Shelter where Laura began to stabilize. During her stay at the Oasis, Laura began working on long term housing with Hamilton Families.

With support of Hamilton Families, Laura and her daughter moved into their own apartment through the City’s rapid rehousing program. Rapid rehousing is a time-limited subsidy that gradually decreases as the tenant stabilizes and finds housing outside of the Homelessness Response System. Tenants live in private-market units and access supportive services, including case management and housing retention assistance.

Thanks to rapid rehousing, this cold and rainy winter, Laura and her baby daughter now reside in a one-bedroom apartment in the Bayview district. Life is getting back to normal with a job at GrubHub, medical and dental insurance for Laura and regular pediatric care for the baby. Laura is grateful to spend this holiday season in her first home in a long time. She is especially excited to work with Compass Families on gifts for her daughter, including a bicycle, as they enjoy their home for the holidays. #WeAreHomeSF