Our Stories: Laurice

Good morning every one. My name is Laurice and I am a mother of three, living in shelter. I became homeless in the winter of 2004. I am on various waitlists across the state and don’t see permanent housing in my near future.

I am residing at a family shelter in Dorchester. I am very grateful to project hope for providing me with a safe and warm environment to live in temporarily. However as you can probably imagine four years of not having a stable place to call your own can be really stressful and frustrating, not only for my self but for my children.

I miss the things people tend to take for granted such as not having to share a bedroom with my children and having a private bathroom just for my family. I don’t understand why there is not affordable housing that I can actually afford! I don’t understand why its been four years and still nothing! I just received a position as a residential counselor at Vinfen which will provide me with decent income however, I still will not be able to afford to pay the insanely high Boston market rent.

Did you know that it costs the state approximately 100 dollars every night that I stay in shelter. Did you know that if I had some kind of subsidy the cost would be about one third of that?

By no means am I looking for a hand out or a free ride , I would be more than glad to pay a reasonable rent that I could afford. Independence means the world to me but market rent to me is just impossible, and even middle class two family house holds cant afford it. If I had an MRVP I would have an apartment where I could afford my rent, and have the stability I have been seeking for my family.

We are not the only family who would benefit from this, considering there are over 2,500 families in shelter in the state. Mass residents especially the children need stability, please help us by supporting MRVP.