In September 2011 Ruth McGee, Girard Street Apartments resident, bravely shared her story in front of four Cabinet secretaries and DC Mayor Vincent Gray. Here’s her story in her own words:
“I became homeless when I got barred from my mom’s one-bedroom apartment in Southeast. I was 21 years old. I was pregnant with my daughter. We checked into Virginia Williams [central intake center for all homeless families in DC]. They sent us to DC General. We stayed there for 5 months. Then they referred us to Community of Hope.
After entering Community of Hope, we went over our case plan. I applied for jobs and entered a job program. Community of Hope helped with getting a daycare voucher so that I could work. I started working as a waitress. In May I applied to go to college and for financial aid. I got a second job in June. I have been working both jobs and going to school.”
This U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) meeting marked the first meeting under the Obama administration to be held on the site of a homelessness service provider and focused on strategies to end homelessness for families by 2020. Chair Secretary Hilda Solis from the Department of Labor was joined by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, USICH Executive Director Barbara Poppe, and DC Mayor Vincent Gray. Click here to learn more about the meeting.
Photo: Ruth McGee and daughter, Community of Hope family, and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan
