By Emma Hamburg, HRDC Marketing & Visual Design Coordinator
One of the greatest privileges of my role at HRDC is getting to sit down with the people who use our services, hear about their lives, and learn what our organization's work means to them. Through our Where Would We Be Without HRDC? series, I have the opportunity to share those stories with our community. Every conversation is different, and each one reminds me that behind the services we provide are real people, unique experiences, and stories worth telling.
This is Beth's story.
When I arrived at Beth's apartment for our interview, there was a bowl of Halloween candy waiting on the table. She proudly told me she'd gone out and bought it just for my visit. She'd spent the morning making sure everything was in its place, decorating and preparing to welcome me into her home.
It was a small gesture, but one that meant so much more when I learned why Beth had waited nearly two months to share her story.
After experiencing homelessness for the better part of a decade, Beth finally had a place to call her own. And before inviting someone inside, she wanted it to feel like a home. Not for my benefit, she explained, but for hers.
For many of us, decorating our living room, buying candy for a guest, or choosing where to put a new plant are ordinary parts of life. We rarely stop to consider what a privilege it is to have a space where those choices are ours to make.
For Beth, those little things mean everything. Beth has experienced homelessness on and off since she was 14, including the last ten years. She's spent nights sleeping outside, navigating unsafe situations, and living with the constant uncertainty of where she would go next. Through it all, our team and community partners continued to show up for her.
With support from HRDC and Carly Belew of the PACT team, Beth was able to secure an apartment of her own. When she first received the news, everything happened so quickly that she barely had time to prepare. She spent her first night sleeping on the floor.
But she wasn't left to figure it out alone. Within days, members of her support team helped her find a bed, chairs, a desk, and a bookshelf. Those first pieces of furniture helped turn an unfamiliar, empty apartment into a place where Beth could begin building a life.
Today, her apartment is filled with the things she loves. There are art supplies, plants she's carefully tending to, a comfortable couch, and a kitten named Taco Nacho, who has quickly made himself at home.
And for the first time in a long time, Beth can simply enjoy being there.
"I'm not worried about where my next meal is coming from at this point. I'm not worried about where I'm gonna get a bottle of water," she shared.
Having a stable home has also given Beth the opportunity to focus on her health, attend medical appointments, and rest when she needs to. But perhaps the greatest change is something that can't be seen in the photos of her beautiful apartment.
It's the feeling of safety. After years of living in situations where her safety was never guaranteed, Beth now has a door she can close and a place she can return to when the world feels overwhelming.
"Just having a home to come to," she said, reflecting on what that security means to her. "That is an amazing fact."
Beth is also candid about the fear that comes with this new chapter. After so many years of instability, it's difficult to trust that something good will last. She's working hard to maintain her housing, keep up with her responsibilities, and build a future that once felt out of reach. And she's proud of the home she's creating.
When I asked Beth about her past, she made it clear that she didn't want her story to be defined by the years she spent experiencing homelessness. "I'm not homeless anymore. So I'm gonna leave the past behind." Instead, she wants to focus on what's ahead.
"Let's go on with the future, because my future's looking kind of bright at this moment."
Where would Beth be without HRDC? It's a question that reminds us why this work matters, and why the support of our community partners is so important. Housing is more than a roof overhead. It's safety, independence, dignity, and the freedom to imagine a different future.
For Beth, it's a place to grow her plants, create art, care for her kitten, and welcome a visitor with a bowl of Halloween candy.
It's home.
