Crystal O-Roy never imagined she would experience homelessness.
In late 2023, she was renting a house in Antelope with her 10 children and grandchild while navigating the challenges of divorce.
As her expenses increased, difficult financial decisions became unavoidable. When winter arrived and temperatures dropped, utility bills were prioritized over immediately paying rent, which resulted in an eviction and then living on the street, she said.
“Half of us were living in one car, and the other half would sleep in a tent,” O-Roy, 44, said. “It was very horrible.”
O-Roy had been working for Amazon, but her job became difficult to maintain after she lost her housing and her children became destabilized. Her three oldest children had part-time jobs, but the family’s combined income was not enough to re-establish housing, she said.
For months, the family endured the hardships of living without shelter, uncertain of where to find help or what their future would hold.
That changed in August 2024, when O-Roy and her family, now staying in the downtown Sacramento area, were engaged by outreach workers from Hope Cooperative, who are funded as part of the City’s Incident Management Team responding to homelessness.
The outreach workers, who were providing connections to services in response to 311 calls, assessed the family’s situation and referred them to the City’s Outreach and Engagement Center, which is also operated by Hope Cooperative. At the OEC, they received temporary shelter, food and case management.
Working with Hope Cooperative and other partners, O-Roy and her family made progress toward regaining permanent housing. After staying at the OEC for several months, they moved into a home in Carmichael with help from Sacramento Steps Forward, Lao Family Community Development and Lutheran Social Services.
O-Roy’s story of strength and perseverance stands out not only because the family was able to stay together through this difficult process, but because of the outstanding collaborative work by all the partner organizations, said Agustin Ramirez, who previously worked with the family through Hope Cooperative and now works as a Neighborhood Resource Coordinator for the City’s Department of Community Response.
“It was a team effort, with each organization playing a key role in providing resources, advocacy and long-term stability,” Ramirez said. “The journey was not easy, but it showed the power of community coming together for the greater good. Thanks to the unwavering commitment of everyone involved, this remarkable family was able to overcome crisis and transition back to a stable environment.”
When asked what advice she would give to someone in a similar situation, O-Roy emphasized the importance of staying hopeful and not giving up. There are people and organizations willing to help, she said, and staying determined can make a difference in finding stability and a fresh start.
She also encouraged people to continue working whenever they can while acknowledging that staying employed when experiencing homelessness can be difficult. “If possible, try to maintain a job while experiencing homelessness,” she said. “It provides a sense of stability and can make a bigger difference than you realize.”
