Lisa’s Story

Lisa was only 25 years old when she went through a painful divorce with her husband. At first, she looked forward to her independence and had high hopes for her future. A Bay Area native, she was close with her family and leaned on them for support. But she didn’t know how to deal with the loss of her marriage and in her own words, “I started to run wild—before I knew it, I opened my eyes and years had gone by.”

Lisa began to rely more and more on alcohol and she suddenly found herself alone and without a home—even her mother who lived close by in Burlingame wouldn’t speak to her due to Lisa’s struggles with alcohol. Eventually, she moved into a shuttle bus which she parked in front of a friend’s warehouse.

After 1.5 years, Lisa again found herself without a home—the warehouse owner couldn’t afford the rising rent and her shuttle bus was immobile. She gathered the last of her life savings and her aging dog Molly and purchased an RV where she would spend the next 2 years of her life.

“I lived in my motorhome on the street—no electricity, no water, and I would just imagine how having a home would feel. My dog was getting old and I wanted her to have a comfortable place as she got older.”

Finally, good fortune and hope struck. Lisa bumped into LifeMoves Case Manager Victoria Asfour who was meeting clients at St. Vincent de Paul during breakfast service. Lisa was exhausted and knew she was finally ready to put in the hard work needed to secure housing.

“I said to myself - Lisa, let’s flip the script. Let’s try something different because this isn’t working.”

Lisa was extremely committed—she met with Victoria twice a week to search for housing, create budgets, and fill out rental applications. She had a strong desire to give back to her community and spent time doing art projects with children who would volunteer at LifeMoves | Vendome. Due to her frequent walks with Molly, Lisa quickly realized that there were many apartments for rent that weren’t visible online—only advertised via signs in front of the building. Victoria and Lisa started driving through neighborhoods, writing down phone numbers from “for rent” signs and tirelessly calling landlords.

“Vickie just didn’t give up. She was right here and held me responsible. I needed that discipline and it felt good. I needed a schedule.”

After only a few short months of working with Victoria, Lisa received the keys to her own one-bedroom apartment. While overwhelmed at first, the weight of living on the street and constant worry slowly faded away and was replaced by a sense of security and peaceful, purposeful days.

I’m artsy—I’m into crafts and arts. I paint. I’m very creative and my dog keeps me busy, I walk her every 2 hours or so as she’s getting older. I’m able to accomplish things every day. Right now, I’m into painting chairs. I’m proud of them! I didn’t know I had that artistic skill because I didn’t have the opportunity.

It’s been two years since she moved out of her RV and into her apartment. She’s organized, she has bank accounts, she has electricity and running water. Lisa now makes sure to accomplish something every day, whether that be exploring her newfound artistic side, taking care of her aging dog, or seeing a friend, she enjoys having a sense of routine and a sense of purpose.

“Every day I wake up grateful that it could be done. I was the last person that I’d thought could have anything to put a smile on my face for. All these years out there in the street, I always thought “me, it’s not going to happen.” But you know what? It did. It changed my whole world around. I have a smile on my face every day, I won the lottery—that’s what it feels like. If you want it bad enough, you can do it. I am so grateful.”