As she works on her latest watercolor in her San Diego apartment, Teri Hoggard knows the picture she paints of what homelessness looks like might be different from the one most people imagine.
The 65-year-old has a master's degree, but mental and physical setbacks over the years have left her without stable housing on more than one occasion, she said. Most recently, after a debilitating illness, she said she was struggling to afford both rent and food.
“I had fear of being homeless because I didn't have enough money for food,” Hoggard said. "I had three cards that were maxed out or almost maxed out."
However, she said monthly $500 payments from the San Diego Housing Commission, part of their Housing Instability Prevention Program, have allowed her to make a significant dent in paying off those cards and paying her rent.
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“It's not just OK to deal with the people on the street because who's going to be the next group on the street? But people who are like my age, who can't afford to keep their homes,” said Hoggard, who hopes to be an advocate for seniors.
Seniors are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness. According to Paul Downey, the CEO of nonprofit Serving Seniors, that is predominantly due to economic factors, like having a fixed income and being unable to keep up with rising rent, losing a job or having medical bills to pay.
Downey said shallow subsidy payments can be the key to keeping older people off the streets and that forgoing prevention programs can come at a high cost.
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“You build a rail to protect people from falling into the river, is a lot cheaper than investing in rescue units downstream to pull them out of the river once they've fallen in,” analogized Downey.
As the city contends with its budget deficit, the Housing Commission's program is not slated to expand in the coming year. In the Independent Budget Analyst's report, the Housing Commission said keeping the funding at current levels would still be insufficient to assist the currently enrolled households.
There is an effort in Sacramento to enact a state-wide housing instability prevention program.
For Hoggard, the dignity of having a home to make her own is priceless. However, despite seeking employment and putting some money into savings while enrolled in the program, she worries about being able to keep up with the housing market once her prevention payments stop rolling in.
"This apartment has been a godsend because, as you can see, it's comfortable. I have a sign on the door that said, "Love lives here,'" said Hoggard.
