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Last year, we profiled Maud’s House Program Manager Natasha Lindsay, who had recently stepped into her role. You can read her story here. One year later, almost to the day, we spoke to her again about what she’s learned, her hopes for the program, and exciting news about increasing community support. “I came from a very idealistic perspective,” she says wryly, “so I’m constantly learning, and I appreciate the lessons that keep me motivated to find solutions. I’m open to hearing feedback and implementing ideas.” Maud's House maintains a clothing closet to provide for their residents Focusing on the day-to-day activities means struggling with the big picture and realizing how much progress has been made – both in herself and in the lives of the residents. A glimpse into the change she helped create came with a client who had recently moved on to permanent housing and returned to check in. “She told me that now that she has stability in housing, she can deal with super big issues because she has the space to deal with it. She used to hide behind hoodies and jeans, and she came in wearing a bright tank top, capri pants, and sandals. She had a calm face, and her skin even looked better.” Currently, Maud’s House is home to 7 moms and 8 children. It’s a transitional shelter, with stays authorized up to 90 days. Snohomish County has supported this initiative with a grant for Rapid Rehousing, which is a process designed to help individuals and families exit homelessness and quickly return to permanent housing. This means families can cycle through the program at a more consistent rate. But far from being a stopgap measure or “flop house,” a stay at Maud’s House comes with emotional, educational, and practical support; resources and referrals; and life skills. Natasha’s plan is to provide new residents with an orientation, help with analyzing their budget and finances and finding a place to live, then providing a transitional period with a weekly program that could include parenting classes and learning to establish positive relationships. Natasha still likes “being the bridge for people and identifying barriers and resources to overcome them. With some of the challenges in the current housing market, I have to be creative with solutions. Barriers are just opportunities for growth.” We celebrate Natasha’s work and encourage the community to learn more and find ways to offer support by connecting with her at nlindsay@voaww.org.

Eunice Gonzaga, Operations Director in our Housing Services program, is a Korean-American born and raised in Los Angeles, a daughter of immigrants. She often struggled with her identity throughout childhood. “I have experienced identity confusion, racism, and unfairness, yet still felt the feeling of freedom of being a regular, American kid… I grew up unsure of how to feel, look, and behave. Should I speak Korean, my first language, or English? Should I skip out on kimchi fried rice and settle for pizza at school? Should I be out in the sun more to get rid of my pale skin?” These questions became existential as she realized the challenges and sacrifice of her parents. Her mother defected from North Korea. Her father is South Korean. They immigrated to the U.S., where Eunice’s mother taught herself English and held down two to three jobs at a time and her father worked his way up to General Manager of a shipping warehouse. “ Society had branded us Model Minorities as a reward for working very hard and demonstrating the status quo,” she recalls. “So why were we still on food stamps? Why did we not have nice clothes? Why were we still not able to buy our own home? Why have we still not achieved The American Dream?” These questions then became a life’s work. After 7 years in Food and Beverage operations and a hospitality management position at a country club in Corona, California from 2005 to 2012, Eunice realized this wasn’t demonstrating what her parents had modeled for her. “I needed to do more – be more intentional of my purpose, be a challenger of the status quo, and be louder for the voiceless. Quite frankly, I was tired of serving expensive, quality steaks to wealthy consumers who constantly complained about food … and then taking it back to be discarded. All I could think about was people outside this restaurant who may not have the privilege to eat three meals a day, let alone just one.” And so, she charged ahead, completing her Master of Social Work degree and applied her management skills to be a champion for change. And never looked back. First, as a Site Coordinator for Communities In Schools, she provided case management and worked with homeless children and families in Title I schools, later transitioning into School Social Work in Elementary, Middle, and High Schools. Then, on a vacation, she fell in love with Seattle and moved in 2017. For over 3 years, Eunice was the Supportive Services Manager for Imagine Housing in East King County, which enhanced her focus, knowledge, and advocacy of housing needs and barriers to housing stabilization in Washington State. Originally serving as Regional Director of VOAWW’s Disability Services, she was drawn back to housing and homelessness, assuming the role of Operations Director in Housing in the thick of pandemic rental assistance. “Now we are at the end, and it’s great to see how many households we’ve served and people we’ve impacted. We are branching out to other programs like City of Lynnwood/Snohomish County Rapid Re-housing, Maud’s House Rapid Re-housing, City of Everett pallet shelters, and refugee stabilization.” Still, she reminds herself of the opportunities her parents offered by their hard work. Eunice hopes she makes them proud and wonders, “what my son [age 6] is going to do. Is he going to make an impact in his community?” The obedient, quiet, and respectful child bloomed into a full-time working mother of four, with one on the way, seeking work/life balance. With sights once set on becoming a CEO of a nonprofit, Eunice is now content to “be a leader making an impact. I don’t need a title to be a leader.”

Belinda Richey, the Program Director at Maud’s House, sees women struggling with homelessness, addiction, or fleeing abusive relationships. She also sees their determination to step out of the path of despair. Belinda endured the same circumstances that brought some of these women to her door. She has survived domestic violence. She has been a single mother. She has been homeless. “At one point, I was living in a trailer with no electricity or running water,” She remembers. “I would ask, ‘God, why me?’” Her VOA career began at the end of 2015 as a homelessness prevention navigator, but when the opportunity to direct Maud’s House in the spring of 2017 came up, she couldn’t get started fast enough. She wrote the program handbook from scratch and hosted activities like birthday parties to make life a little brighter for the residents. She spends her days reaching out to community leaders, business partners, and donors to secure funds to keep the doors open. This relentless work will see families graduate to employment and a home of their own. And each success is one more bittersweet farewell. Reflecting on her past to help others build her future, she remarks, “Why me? All these years later, when I got this opportunity at Maud’s House, I said, ‘Oh. That’s why.’ I was being prepared for this.” Without shelters like Maud’s House, these women – and their children – could become statistics. But Belinda doesn’t do it for recognition. She does it because she knows that the alternative is the one she’s already seen.