OAKLAND — VM always considered herself “an overcomer,” especially when it came to helping others overcome their own adversity.
There was the time she and her husband aided her parents when they hit financial shoals at the church they ministered. And when she paid for nieces and nephews’ school uniforms because they couldn’t afford it. And once, she gave up her share in the family’s longtime Oakland home so her cash-strapped sister could benefit.
“My mom was truly our best friend, and she always told us to stick together like the five fingers on your hand,” said VM, who asked that only her initials be used.
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But even survivors need a little help every now and then. Her husband died in 2005 after a long illness, and in late 2018 she became ill and fell into financial hardship. The family support she hoped to get did not materialize.
That’s when she called 211 Alameda County, run by nonprofit Eden I&R, which connects thousands of people with services and resources such as shelter and housing, medical care and food. It also provides relevant information during power shutoffs and fires and through the coronavirus pandemic.
“211 is a really powerful number that a lot of people haven’t even heard of,” said Alison DeJung, the nonprofit organization’s executive director.
By the time VM reached out to the organization last year, she had no place to go and didn’t have enough money for rent. She was camped out in her car with her Siberian husky service dog Neiko.
As her life seemed to hit rock bottom, she recalled her mother’s words: “Hold your head up, keep your shoulders back, and keep God first.”
Through perseverance and the kindness and knowledge of people like Khadija Onyeije, a supervisor at 211 Alameda County, VM managed to take small steps toward improving her situation, such as connecting with a Safe Parking program in San Leandro.
“I knew that there were resources out there to be had, I just needed to find out what they were. And so I called 211, and spoke with Khadija, and from there it was just uphill, really,” she said.
The parking program made her feel safer sleeping overnight, but didn’t solve all her problems. “My legs were starting to swell and it started getting cold out,” VM said.
“There was no sense in breaking or giving in, or giving up. I knew that in time that things would change,” she added.
Onyeije said when she first spoke with VM, she was in the thick of her struggles and it brought her to tears.
“With everything that she went through with her family and everyone else, how can this 65-year-old woman be by herself without having any permanent support? How can that happen?” Onyeije wondered. “There’s no system in this country that supports you, it’s like no one cares for you once you get to that age.”
“She kept my spirits up,” VM said of Onyeije. “She touched me and I believe I touched her as well.”
211 Alameda County helps thousands of people like VM each year. Just between March and June, it fielded more than 27,000 calls and texts.
Eden I&R received funding this year from Share the Spirit, an annual holiday campaign that serves disadvantaged residents in the East Bay. Donations will help support 41 nonprofit agencies in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Eden I&R will use the grant to help pay salaries and benefits for two 211 Alameda County phone resource specialists.
Earlier this year, things started looking up. VM found a below-market-rate unit at a new development in downtown Oakland, but because of the pandemic everything was put on hold before she could move in.
At that point, Onyeije suggested VM apply to live in one of dozens of trailers issued to the county by FEMA during the pandemic. Success. She landed in a trailer with a queen-size bed, a kitchen and a bathroom.
“It really is a little home,” VM said with a smile.
Now that she’s in temporary housing, VM is ready to have surgery to walk better so she doesn’t have to use a wheelchair.
Onyeije said serving people like VM, who are a part of her community and simply need a guide during difficult times, brings her joy.
“When they call they are so stressed and they are just calling for help. And knowing these people are calling you for help, it just touches my heart that I am able to provide information and resources to help them,” she said.
VM knows there may be more challenges ahead, and hopes to get placed into a permanent apartment soon and find a job after.
“The family issue has been the most hurting thing that I have ever experienced,” she said. But with the help of people like Onyeije and 211, and her faith, she made it through and knows she can do it again.
“I really have no sad girl song to sing,” she said. “If Jesus wasn’t my source, I probably would have cracked. But because I trust God, I could always hold it together.”
Share the Spirit
The Share the Spirit holiday campaign, sponsored by the Bay Area News Group, funds nonprofit holiday and outreach programs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
To make a tax-deductible contribution, clip the coupon accompanying this story or go to www.sharethespiriteastbay.org/donate. Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making grants or contributions, may contact the Share the Spirit program at 925-472-5760 or sharethespirit@crisis-center.org.
