Tajuanna Clay and her young daughter were initially living with a boyfriend, but it was an unstable environment. Over a six-year period, they lived with friends sporadically, but were not housed in a stable manner and found themselves experiencing homelessness. Tajuanna registered on the Section 8 waitlist several years before becoming homeless and continued to update her address in the system. One day she received a letter inviting her to submit a Section 8 application.
Tajuanna experienced challenges in securing housing due to bad credit, an eviction on her record, lack of familiarity in areas where housing was more available, and various struggles of being homeless. She was also plagued with concern for her older sons being cared for by a family member. The Housing Incentive Program helped Tajuanna secure an apartment, including the application fee, a holding incentive, security deposit and utility deposit assistance. Since leasing her unit, Tajuanna’s quality of life has dramatically improved.
