Ruthie

Providence House, Portland

Ruthie grew up in many different places, traveling often because her father was in the Air Force. In her adult life she eventually settled in San Diego, but after eight years she could no longer afford the cost of living - bouncing around to different apartments, hotels and living with friends, never having a stable and safe place to call home.

In 2010, she moved to Portland where she spent the next four years looking for affordable housing. Ruthie remembers, “It is constant stress to not have secure housing. You become hyper vigilant with some things; I was very depressed. A lot of times when I would go to sleep, I wished I wouldn’t wake up.”

Ruthie was able to move with her work as a medical transcriptionist, until she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.  She had a lot of pain.  She had battled breast cancer and struggled with various other health issues including depression, anxiety and PTSD.  At 62, Ruthie’s sole source of income was social security.  She didn’t feel like she had control of her life or her health because of her constantly changing living situation.

Ruthie heard about Providence House through a friend and was excited when she learned that she qualified. The wait for an apartment was over a year, but she decided that it was worth the wait.

When Ruthie found out she got an apartment at Providence House, she remembers, “I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. After so many years of bouncing around, I did have an apartment here and there, but I got evicted, so that fear of eviction sticks with you. It sits on you really heavily. Where am I going to go next?”

She remembers on moving day the housing director told her she was safe and that she could stay as long as she wanted, and from that day forward Ruthie started her “healing process.”

When she moved into Providence House her next struggle was that she didn’t have any furniture. She recalls, “I had slept on an air bed for about 4-5 years. It was the easiest thing to pack up if I had to go.” With the help of Providence House staff, she collected used furniture including an ottoman, loveseat, pots and pans and a bed from people in the community, to get her apartment setup.

Ruthie says Providence House, “…is very supportive, very caring, and not too big so no one gets lost in the community. I would love to see a lot more of this available to seniors. With seniors coming out on the streets like this, it is heartbreaking.”

Feeling safe in her community and home is important to Ruthie and, “…in everything that you are doing in your life, you need a place that you feel is safe to go home to.”

Thank you for donating to the Providence Supportive Housing Hope After Homelessness Campaign and helping people like Ruthie.