Kathy

Vincent House, Seattle

Unable to find a job in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri, Kathy moved to Seattle in order to be closer to an aunt.  She did not have housing lined up, but took a leap of faith.  Kathy put everything she owned into her car, including her dog, and drove out to the Pacific Northwest.

Upon arriving in Seattle, Kathy lived in a tent city for about a year, which provided many challenges.  Those included unreliable access to clean fresh water, lack of heat during the cold winter months, and the lack of clean and permanent bathroom facilities.  Kathy recalls not feeling safe.

“When I first pulled up at the tent city and parked on the sidewalk. I was planning to sleep in my car, but for some reason I got to spend the night, thankfully.” Kathy remembers.

Eventually Kathy was moved out of the tent city to live in transitional housing where she remained for a year until she got the call from Providence Vincent House that an apartment was available and she could move in.

“I was very excited. I talked to the staff who showed me my apartment, and I was shocked at how big it was!” Kathy exclaimed.

After two years of being marginally housed, Kathy had only a few personal belongings to bring with her to Vincent House. Vincent House staff helped her get a desk, recliner chair and more, and even helped her assemble and set up her apartment.

Kathy said, “They have great support staff here.”

Kathy was also borderline diabetic when she moved from Springfield, and when she came to Seattle it developed into type 2 diabetes. Having unstable housing made managing her diabetes challenging, and the staff at Vincent House helped Kathy get her health care needs organized through a nearby clinic.

Kathy has now lived at Vincent House 5 years.  She loves her neighborhood and living near Pike Place Market. She feels safe and likes her neighbors and community.

At Vincent House Kathy has found home and reports feeling, “comfort, relaxation and happiness.”