How Diversion Helped Chandra
Housing Emergencies Can Happen to Anyone
Chandra loves to help people and has always been a hard worker. For years, she worked at a nonprofit where she helped people access housing. Working with her community was meaningful to her, even though it could be draining. Chandra felt like she couldn’t help others when she wasn’t confident in her own life circumstances.
“I would tell my boss I didn’t feel comfortable teaching these classes because I’m not even there where I need to be,” Chandra explained.
In 2023, Chandra ended her marriage. She left her apartment after her landlord wouldn’t accept a partial rent payment. Chandra began experiencing homelessness. With nowhere else to turn, she began living in her car. Later that year, that car got stolen.
“As an adult without a vehicle . . . you cannot get groceries. You can’t do your laundry. You can’t do anything, and you don’t have money saved up to buy another car. It was horrible.”
Diversion Provides Vital Services
“As an adult without a vehicle… you cannot get groceries. You can’t do your laundry. You can’t do anything, and you don’t have money saved up to buy another car. It was horrible,” Chandra reflected.
For the next two months, Chandra lived in a hotel. She did everything she could to find housing and another job with enough hours to earn a living wage. After months of struggling, Chandra connected with Catholic Charities Diversion Program. Diversion operates the Hennepin County Shelter Hotline, which serves Hennepin County residents who are facing a housing emergency. It helps them explore all their options before entering a shelter.
Connecting to Stable Housing
Through Diversion, Chandra was connected to an agency that paid for her security deposit and first month’s rent. This was previously impossible, given her low credit score.
“My credit score was low when I originally got denied by a landlord for that subsidized housing,” Chandra reflected. “But when I applied for this financing [with the help of Diversion], I was approved for $2,000 – I was like, ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’”
Chandra worked hard to find a job that offers flexible hours and allows her to spend time with her children. She’s still living in her apartment – more than one year later.
