Submitted by: SVdP’s Redwood City Homeless Help Center

A small young woman came into the Homeless Help desk in tears.  She had been sent by her Social Worker and her story was heart wrenching.  She had been laid off work and lost her housing.  Having never been homeless before, she was not prepared for life on the street.  She was approached by a man with a gun who took everything, $400 cash, her paycheck and her wallet.  Then he accosted her!

She was left with $50 in her shoe and her phone which was in her bra.  She called the police who helped her. They connected her to a social worker at the Fair Oaks Community Center where she got shelter, an ID and help finding a job.  Problem was, she was required to get steel toed boots to start work since she was a fork lift driver.  The social worker sent her to us.

Thanks to our donors’ generosity, we were able to take her to Redwood Trading Post in Redwood City who have helped us many times before.  They gave us a generous discount and we bought her the boots.  On the way taking her back to the shelter she called the company to say she had gotten the boots.  They told her she could start the next morning!  She was beyond grateful.