Ruth

My name is Ruth and I am a thirty-one year old single mother of a seven year old son.  We became homeless in July of 2006.  It was approximately 2 years after I was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy and about five months following the separation from my husband of five years, who was still on active duty.  To say the least, I was already in a period of transition and relative instability due to the loss of my marriage and the fact that I was unemployed.

During the time when I lost my apartment I was living in San Diego County and was attending Maric College full-time in hopes of receiving my Associate’s Degree in Nursing.  Unfortunately, I did not have family in the area when things fell through.  After looking for immediate low-income housing alternatives, and the long waiting list, I thought it would be in my best interests to move to the Los Angeles where I had friends and family.  I decided to cut school short in an effort to provide stability for my son.  I figured I could resume studies when I relocated.

However, once in Los Angeles things did not get that much better.  The family and friends whom I initially thought I could depend on were either unavailable, unwilling to help, or somewhat unstable themselves to a point where I would not want to impose.  So I flitted back and forth between options for a while and even went out of state for a period of time.  The constant movement became tiresome, and I found the situation too toxic and demeaning to continue to expose my son to. Through these experiences I learned it was better for me to attempt to depend on myself because that would be the only way for me to maintain my own self-respect and the respect of my son.  I was very thankful when I found out about Hope Gardens.  Here I do not have to worry about being controlled, manipulated or abused by others because of my situation.

Right now, my main concern is finding stable permanent housing for both my son and I.  Beyond that, I would also like to make myself marketable so I can do more than just survive in our changing economy.  My education is definitely a priority.  Since I’ve been at Hope Gardens, I have gotten back in school to complete my A.S. in Nursing.  With my degree, I can continue to grow in independence and teach my son the value of an education.  Hope Gardens has been the best opportunity I have had to get my life back on track.  I have met so many inspiring women and men here.  I would feel blessed and thankful if I could continue to meet strong, successful, women role models who have overcome various obstacles in their lives.  These types of people continually inspire and motivate me to move in the direction of my dreams.  I know that I will make a way no matter what but I’m reaching for the best so that I can provide for my son’s future in a healthy fashion.