A Personal Story of Triump from the Roving Housing Resource Program
Client Profile
Malik Davis* is back from his latest journey, one he describes as "spiritually
driven." Today, he is a poet, a songwriter, an aspiring novelist,
a husband, a man of faith, a student, and a caseworker. Just 18 months
ago, he was also homeless.
Malik´s journey began in the spring of 1997 when he was enrolled
at California State University at Hayward. In his final year of a Bachelor
of Arts program in Psychology, Malik and some other students began to
protest what they felt was "ethical unfairness." "I´m
a very stern person when it comes to principles, a real radical."
The conflict eventually left Malik with failing grades, on academic probation,
and unwelcome at the school. By his own admission, the way that he handled
the conflict was less than productive: "I was angry and unfocused
at the time. Looking at the poverty and injustice around me turned me
into a bitter person."
Needing some time to recoup, Malik traveled to Machu Pichu, Peru during
the summer of 1997. There, he had a "cleansing experience."
Malik got himself sober, and decided he needed to re-focus his life. However,
when he got back to Hayward, he was immediately met with a major obstacle:
his university housing was to end August 30th and he had no where else
to go.
Malik had previously worked in different capacities at social service
agencies in and around Oakland. Consequently, he was familiar with some
of the social services available to County residents. He began to look
for himself. "I became a client. I became my own case manager."
On that fateful day when he left his "last known address," Malik
went down to the General Assistance (GA) office to get a three-month voucher
for a homeless shelter. While Malik headed to a men´s shelter in
East Oakland, his fiancé moved back in with her parents.
"I didn´t like the first shelter. The program had no structure,
and it was drug infested." Malik returned to the GA office to ask
for a reassignment. "The lady at GA, I forget her name, but she was
really helpful. She told me there was an opening in one of the 18 beds
at the Human Outreach [Agency, Inc.] Men´s [Emergency] Shelter on
Flagg Street [in Hayward]. The place houses men who are homeless, just
coming out of jail and prison, and other men."
Malik was impressed by the Human Outreach shelter: "They brought
in outside agencies to help clients re-enter society. When you are homeless,
you become disconnected. They had computer classes and housing workshops.
Pam [Glassoff, Resource Specialist for Eden I&R´s Roving
Housing Resource Program] would do workshops every Tuesday night -
no, wait! It was Mondays. I remember because all the guys would be watching
Monday Night Football! She was not what we expected. She was not stoic,
not condescending to the guys. She was flexible, and she understood where
people were coming from, like the fact that some guys couldn´t read
or write. She saw them as an asset. She had a structured plan. She taught
people how to deal with past credit problems, fill out applications, and
how to present that application to landlords. She always came in with
[housing listings]. At other agencies, they´re lacking, or they´re
three, four, five months old. And if she couldn´t do something,
she was honest. Pam came rain or shine."
Despite the understanding disposition and valuable information resources that Pam provided, Malik was unable to find an apartment he could afford during the first three months. It became clear to him that he would have to save money to be able to afford a place, so he got a part-time job as a House Manager at Claussen House in Oakland, a provider of residential and supported living programs for developmentally disabled adults. "I was saving money. I worked double shifts and holidays. And I also worked other jobs."
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Malik is quick to acknowledge the extraordinary network of support that
he discovered during this trying time. In addition to Pam of Eden I&R,
there was Paul Boynton of the California Department of Rehabilitation,
who helped Malik to "give up the club life, drugs and alcohol."
Of Malik, Mr. Boynton said, "He´s always so courteous, even
when the bureaucracy is messing up. Since he´s courteous, he gets
courteous treatment." Malik also spoke highly of Larry McCain of
the Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS) South County Homeless
Project: "He was a real mentor, not just a person I came in to see."
Mr. McCain said he was struck by Malik´s "determination."
Then there was Valerie Taniguchi of EXCEL, a federally funded TRIO program
for low-income, first-generation college, and disabled Cal State Hayward
undergraduates. The major goals of EXCEL are to increase student retention,
graduation rates, and overall academic success. When I asked Ms. Taniguchi
what she took from her experience with Malik, she responded, "It
was a gift in knowing him. He taught me a tremendous amount."
During this period, Malik continued to attend classes towards his degree.
He took one class at Cal State Hayward and one at Chabot College. "Getting
that degree was going to bridge the gap between having and not having."
In order to fit in all of his commitments, Malik would leave the shelter
at 3 A.M., go to the donut shop to study, and then take the bus to campus
for his 8 A.M. class. "I still go there at three in the morning sometimes,
just to remind me where I´ve been." He also managed to fit
in a wedding ceremony - his own! - on November 3rd, 1997. Malik´s
determination earned him a 3.5 GPA and a beautiful marriage.
For the Winter of 1998 academic quarter, Malik enrolled in three more
classes. With the help of Larry at BOSS, Malik got a Shelter Plus Care
certificate to subsidize his rent. "I needed to find a place. Pam
had given me several leads, but none had panned out because of my credit."
After this initial disappointment, Malik´s luck would change. In
March, Pam found Malik another potential apartment, this one in Hayward.
Through her work with other clients, Pam had developed a rapport with
the property manager. "Pam really advocated for me with the [property
manager] because of the blemishes on my credit history. The [property
manager] told me to get one thing off my credit history, and she said,
´It´s only because of [Pam] that I´m gonna give you
this apartment.´" Twenty months later, Malik and his wife still
live in the same apartment. Malik re-enrolled in his Psychology program
at Cal State Hayward, and earned his B.A. in June 2000. "I´ll
never forget it - June 10th. That same day, BOSS offered me a job. That
was my graduation present from God." Malik´s current position
at BOSS is Case Manager. He explained that the assistance that he got,
"sparked an interest in my wanting to become a service provider on
another level." He is currently enrolled in a Masters program for
counseling at Cal State Hayward, and will shortly earn his Marriage and
Family Therapy certificate.
Reflecting on how he is different from the embittered person he remembers,
Malik stated, "Now, using God as a medium, I can attack the injustice
and present my case much gentler." Years after his six-month bout
with homelessness, Malik still comes by the Eden I&R office to say
hi to Pam, and speaks warmly of her: "To touch the poor, the homeless
like she does, it´s a special gift from God."
* Name changed for confidentiality.
For more information on the Roving
Housing Resource Program or Eden I&R, please call 510-537-2710
or
email us.