Azucena Acosta

HOUSING NAVIGATOR
COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER

When she first started her job seven years ago, her commute was only 30 minutes, it is now usually one hour, each way.

HOUSING STORY

Azucena lives on the northern outskirts of Oceanside. When she first started her job seven years ago, her commute was only 30 minutes, it is now usually one hour, each way. Due to housing costs in Encinitas she is unable to enjoy the rewards of living in the community she serves. Azucena’s housing dream in Encinitas would be to save on her time and gas money, while being able to participate in the life of the city, walking to events on the weekends, and becoming a member of the local community,

“My name is Azucena Acosta. I am the Housing Navigator and Program Specialist for the Community Resource Center. I have worked at the center for seven years. I currently help homeless individuals find housing.”

Excerpts from a summer 2018 interview:

It’s challenging enough for people with no current obstacles to find housing, but even more so for those experiencing homelessness. I listen and provide hope and support. Sometimes clients thank me so I ask, “What did I do?” What I have learned is that they have the power to help themselves. They just need someone to listen and provide guidance. Maybe they needed a resource they weren't familiar with or perhaps they just didn’t know how to navigate resources? Or, maybe they were totally capable of going on Google and finding the answer on thei r own, but they were so frustrated, confused and filled with so much emotion, that they just needed a little bit of guidance, or simply access to a computer. I see a lot of situations where someone is able to figure it out on their own with just a little encouragement. That's the most amazing and rewarding part of my job. We can advocate, encourage and coach them, but they take all the steps because they know what is best for them. My job is to simply walk alongside them, if invited, as they walk on their own paths to safety, stability and self-sufficiency.

WE HOUSED 96 HOUSEHOLDS, IN TOTAL 166 INDIVIDUALS, BETWEEN THE SPRING 2016 AND FALL 2018.

It has not been easy. It takes a lot of time and effort to house someone. And it’s not just helping them get ready for housing and finding the actual housing but we attempt to help them add or refresh skills that may help them later. Life is unpredictable but hopefully they are able to use their skills to continue to overcome barriers as they come up in the future or know when, where and how to reach out for help as needed. We have a lot of support from the community, including the City of Encinitas. We're dedicated and all work together. We provide the City with success stories along with our reporting documentation. It is a success story of their investment in the lives of our homeless community members.

“And so we get a lot of that, where they are able to figure it out on their own, with just a little encouragement. That's just the most amazing thing.”

“It is just for you all, just as a thank you for your hard work and support and for believing in me, for giving me a second chance when I was struggling.”

It 's about second chances.

We have amazing success stories. Anywhere from families moving in just in time for the holidays or new born babies in the program. Being able to reunite families or get them into a home, especially if there's children involved, is heartwarming. We do our best to help in any way we can. We have sneaked in before they move in and set up the pantry, put food in their fridge and made it as welcoming as we can.

That's so amazing to see, because it is their success.

People sometimes come back to thank us. Something that is not expected. We help because we want to and it’s part of our job. One of our programs where we handled car loans, we had a participant who was struggling to make her car payments. We weren't the lender, but we helped facilitate the program and eventually she was able to catch up. Towards the end she accidentally made an additional payment . It was at least $500 and we were ready to refund her.

She said, “No, I would like to donate that. And I want it to go to the staff, for whatever you all want, a coffee machine or whatever it is that, you know, makes you all happy. It is just for you all , as a thank you for your hard work and support and for believing in me, for giving me a second chance when I was struggling.”

I see that kind of thing all the time. Clients want to volunteer and/or give back. It is very gratifying to see them doing so well . These are “regular ” people like anybody else that have experienced difficult life events and didn’t have the appropriate support system to overcome the situation.