When I moved to Fresno right after the Fourth of July in 2023, finding stable housing was my top priority. 

My first stop was with an 83-year-old woman who offered me a room for a month. While it was kind of her to provide a place to stay, the experience was far from comfortable. 

She treated the room like a storage space, often coming in at night to rummage through her stuff. I couldn’t use the laundry machines, had to be in my room before she went to bed, and wasn’t allowed to have any guests. 

It quickly became clear that I needed to find a new place.

By August, after school started, my situation was getting worse. With paying rent and dealing with the high cost of out-of-state tuition, I was struggling. 

Each class cost around $1,300, adding to my stress. I reached out to Homeless and Housing Insecurity Pilot Program (HOPE) Housing, hoping they could help me find a more permanent home.

At the time, the director of HOPE Housing was extremely difficult to reach. Communicating with her was making me frustrated.

She kept emailing me to wait until after the semester began to contact her about possible housing options. 

This didn’t make sense to me since I was already enrolled thus paying for my classes. 

How could I wait when I was on the brink of being evicted from the storage space that I was renting because the old lady disliked me?

I went to school every day, worried that my belongings might be thrown out in front of the older woman’s house.

Also, I couldn’t afford a regular four-bedroom student apartment either. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage in California.

Finally, through the Fresno City College Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) director Kalisha Spomer, I connected with Rene Moncada, a HOPE counselor who helped me navigate the program. 

After a thorough interview process with Rene who was understanding about my situation, I finally moved into an apartment on Sept. 9, 2023.

Thanks to the program, my subsidized rent was only $410.

HOPE collaborates with different programs in Fresno to ensure housing for homeless students. One being RH Community Builders.

The following months were a relief. With help from my new enhanced care manager Jenny Hernandez, I was able to continue receiving health insurance and food stamps. 

Marina Piña, the property manager, was the sweetest and most understanding person.

She was incredibly supportive. As long as I had a job, paid my rent on time, kept my grades up and kept my apartment clean I was able to stay there without any issues.

Mind you, these are RH Community Builders employees. They were the ones who helped me out the most. 

However, my experience with the previous HOPE director still left a sour feeling on my tongue.

While the HOPE Housing program was great, her attitude made it difficult to get the help I needed at first. 

It should not have taken me a month to get into an apartment with HOPE, which assists students facing homelessness.

I made sure to let her know how challenging the process was for me, hoping it would help improve the program for students dealing with the same issue.

Clearly, my attempt to address the issue didn’t work out; she was practically evicted from her leadership position.

When I heard that HOPE Housing was ending and saw apartments being emptied, it was heartbreaking. 

I knew many people had worked hard to stay in those apartments.

I was fortunate to find student housing elsewhere as my lease was ending, avoiding the complications of the HOPE program ending and being reinstated.

I was glad to learn that the program was starting up again under new leadership.

Looking back, I am grateful for the support HOPE Housing provided. With a new director and the program continuing, I hope it will keep helping students who need it. 

Now that I have my own apartment and am doing well, I’m thankful for the stability the program offered during a difficult time.