It’s been a rough few years for Thomas Ray. The 33-year-old man went through an unexpected breakup with his husband, a battle with substance abuse, and homelessness.
But a little-known program in Ventura County has helped him get his life back on track.
"I was homeless for three months," said Ray. "United Way was awesome. They put me in a hotel for the three months I was homeless. I spent one night with the last of my money to get a hotel room, and then the next day they came in and saved the day."
Ray was helped by the United Way of Ventura County's United To End Homelessness Initiative. The program not only provided him with temporary housing but also helped him get an apartment in Ventura.
"Honestly, without the United Way, I wouldn't have found a place," said Ray. "My credit score was only at 649, one point shy of what everybody wanted. Some places wanted 750. I'd been looking for a place for three months with a housing voucher, and I kept getting turned down."
Ray said even with the United Way’s help, it still wasn’t easy, but its connections made the difference.
"United Way partnered with me, and Carie helped me every step of the way. She helped me with finding places. She's one of my heroes," said Ray.
The Carie that Ray is referring to is Carie Bristow, Director of the United Way of the county's homelessness initiative. It's helped more than 240 households and about 579 people last year.
"It's all about housing, and keeping people housed," said Bristow. "We don't just help them get housing, we keep them housed."
Bristow talked about working to get Ray into permanent housing and providing the other support he needed to get his life back on track.
"When I met him, his credit score was really low, and I said to get him housed, we need to get that credit score up. I think it was 12 points in one month that he was able to increase it. Which is what got him housed," said Bristow. "After he got housed, he regained sobriety and returned to college."
The United Way of Ventura County’s United To End Homelessness Initiative is now six years old. It recently started a second program focused on helping people with housing stay in their homes. Things like the breakup of a relationship, a death in the family, or other sudden financial strains, like an illness or the loss of a job, can jeopardize housing. The new program tries to help people bridge that gap and stay housed while their situation stabilizes.
The programs are funded through grants and donations.
"We do rely on a lot of grants," explained Dawn Petterson, United Way’s Director of Development and Marketing. "Where grants don't come in, we need to raise the money."
Ray has found the United Way program to be a life-changer. He’s been in his apartment for three years and is sober. He said he has some real direction in his life and big plans for the future.
"I am now a full-time college student," said Ray. "I just graduated from Ventura College, and am transferring to Cal State Channel Islands. "My major is going to be environmental sciences, and I want to become a marine ecologist."
He also got a job working at the Camarillo campus.
Bristow said it’s amazing to be a part of a community-supported program that helps people get a new start in life.
"I always say this is a heart-filled job. I don't think I would be able to be me without being able to help people get and stay housed. Thomas is one of the many we have helped."
