Sharon's bittersweet goodbye to De Paul Manor

Sharon McCrae originally moved to the Valley from Los Angeles in 2011 hoping to find more affordable living opportunities, but after a series of illnesses, job losses, and eventual evictions, all she found was struggle. Then a cancer diagnosis compounded her difficulties while she was experiencing homelessness. Despite the situation, Sharon refused to let it define her, and instead, she used it as motivation to keep moving forward and rebuild her life. 

"I don't look at myself as being homeless because it's not a part of my psyche, but I always use it as a steppingstone to something better," Sharon said.

After living paycheck-to-paycheck and struggling to meet the ever-increasing price of rent, Sharon found herself evicted in January 2023. She had to take to the streets and quickly entered a local emergency adult shelter. Once there she began undergoing treatment for cancer with the help of her medical aid. 

Then one morning in the shelter, she woke up to voices discussing stipends for garden work and educational courses.

She decided to check out the organization they were talking about, and through this chance encounter, Sharon was introduced to St. Vincent de Paul. She learned about the organization's mission to help people experiencing homelessness find pathways to stability, and quickly fell in love with SVdP and the respect that staff and volunteers treated her with. She started working in the urban farm and attending agriculture courses, and during her first visit to SVdP’s main campus, she was taken to the NextPhase Family Dining Room, SVdP's community dining hall for shelter residents and families in need, where she was served a meal with dignity and care. 

After spending a year at other shelters, Sharon moved into De Paul Manor, SVdP’s transitional shelter for seniors, veterans, and adults with disabilities. There, she had a bed devoted to just her while she worked on getting permanent housing, access to hygiene facilities, three meals every day, and a case manager to help walk her through the complicated process of getting back on her feet. And since moving, she has celebrated one year of remission from cancer and has continuously used the SVdP medical clinics to maintain top health.

Over the next year and a half at SVdP, Sharon focused on rebuilding her life, her health, and working toward financial stability.

After all her hard work, she received the call she had been waiting for: Sharon had been approved for permanent housing. Out of approximately 4,500 shelter residents on a housing waitlist, and after a year of waiting, Sharon received the keys to her new home.

"I was hoping that [SVdP's transitional shelter] was going to be my last stop, and it is. God has had me every step of the way," Sharon said. "I was over the moon."

Now she's eager to create a place she can truly call home. 

Although saying goodbye to her friends at SVdP will be bittersweet, she plans to continue visiting SVdP for its health clinics, friends, and other supportive services. 

"I'm going to be saying goodbye to a lot of people, and I'm going to let them know that I got my place,” Sharon said. “It's going to be a few little tears, but those will be happy tears." 

She's looking forward to enjoying retirement while hosting gatherings at her new apartment complex, building friendships, and creating a sense of community. Most of all, Sharon is excited to welcome her family and proudly show them how far she has come.