Hope and Perseverance: An Interview with Ms. Romero

Isaac J

I'd really like to get to know your story. I've prepared about 10 questions. If you don't feel comfortable answering any of them, you don't have to answer.

Ms. R

Thank you.

Isaac J

Could you tell me how you grew up?

Ms. R

I grew up with five brothers and two sisters and a mother and a father.

Isaac J

What was it like growing up with that many siblings?

Ms. R

How was the family growing up, you mean? My father was an alcoholic, so he was not really home a lot. He is gone for a couple of months and then he comes back. My mother worked and she had all of us. And then she took care of our cousins, too.

Isaac J

That sounds really difficult. So how did you come to experience homelessness?

Ms. R

I went through a separation. I had gotten married and we had a good deal on this house. My siblings were supposed to help me, but they took the house from me. After that, I became homeless. Then my son and I moved out. You know, we would stay there, and they would get mad. They told us we had to leave. Yeah, these things. Just got hard.

Isaac J

So did you ever spend time in a shelter? If so, what was it like?

Ms. R

No, never in a shelter.

Isaac J

How was everyday life?

Ms. R

How did we spend our day? We would get up really early to beat people getting to the restroom. We got up really early, so we would be the first people at the park. You know, so people wouldn’t see what we were doing. We were washing up, taking a shower in the restroom. And then we would go to places where nobody knew. Not around schools. Stuff like that.

Isaac J

How did you care for yourself? Where did you live during this time?

Ms. R

We'd sometimes stay in the 24-hour laundromat. We've experienced staying in the park restroom.

Isaac J

During this time, did anyone help you? And if so, how?

Ms. R

Yeah, I had a couple of people that I knew. They knew that it was just my daughter and myself, so they would help us. They would say, “You could stay in this garage for 2 days,” or “My aunt's not going to be here. You and your little girl could stay in their RV.” Stuff like that. Yes, I did.

Isaac J

You mentioned that you have a daughter. Did that make your situation more challenging as you took care of her?

Ms. R

You know what? I think that's one of my hardest things: trying to make it normal for her. Normal like not to make it any different, you know. The other day, she went to the Dodger game. When it came time to drop her off, she asked, “Mom, where do I tell them to drop me off?”

Isaac J

During this time, how did you keep your spirits up?

Ms. R

Going to church.

Isaac J

Did people at the church know you well? Did you tell them what you were going through?

Ms. R

No, not everybody knew what I was going through.

Isaac J

What were some of the challenges you encountered during this time?

Ms. R

I got a job.

Isaac J

That's really good. How did you find this job?

Ms. R

A group from church.

Isaac J

I guess that leads into the next next question. How are you doing right now?

Ms. R

Right now I've been working. Saved up, you know, a little bit of money and you know, as a matter of fact, we're hoping that in 15 days we'll have a home. I filled out the application. The man said we're good. My biggest challenge is we have a dog. I have a big Doberman shepherd. I've kept it because that's been our form of security, of protection. One of my biggest challenges was to find a place that would accept my dog.

Isaac J

That sounds good! Congratulations on finding a house. I hope that it all works out.

Ms. R

Thank you, young man.

Isaac J

What else would you like people to know about being homeless?

Ms. R

Being homeless has taught me that, not just because you have a hole in your shirt and you're dirty, then you're homeless. You know, sometimes some well-dressed people with nice cars are homeless. Sometimes people don't realize, for example, just me and my daughter, we don’t dress like we are homeless. We try to keep up on the outside. Sometimes when people find out, they treat others differently, but it shouldn't be that way. There's homeless and there's mental homeless. Sometimes it just takes somebody to say, “I know you're having a bad day, but it will get better.” It means a lot to someone who doesn't have anything.

Isaac J

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me today. It was really interesting and I really enjoyed it.

Ms. R

Thank you.

Isaac J

I hope you have a great weekend. Hope your housing situation works out.

Ms. R

Oh, I hope so. It's more a yes than a no, like 75 per cent. I'll find out in 15 days. It'll be ready by the 10th. So I'm very excited because it's been a long time since we had a home, you know. Even though we're going in with no furniture or anything, it's a blessing. Just to have a home. Thank you, young man.

Isaac J

Thank you again and have a great weekend.

Ms. R

You as well.