Mary-Elizabeth lived in her childhood home with her father for nearly 50 years. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety, she found the security and comfort in the strong familial environment to pursue a life of meaning.
She found purpose and joy as a teacher’s aide, guiding special needs and at-risk children for local cities and schools for nearly 30 years. As her father got older, and with the support of her brother who lived nearby, she also became a caregiver.
Her life became fulfilling as she was able to help not only her father but others as well.
In 2017, her life changed. She lost both her brother and her father – her entire support system.
Shattered and alone, Mary-Elizabeth was overwhelmed by grief, and it was a struggle to focus on day-to-day activities. She stopped paying her bills, gained more than 100 pounds and became short-tempered.
This distress cost her both her job and eventually her childhood home.
“I went from having everything to having everything taken from me,” Mary-Elizabeth said. “You grow up, you work, and you think you have everything figured out. It was almost like I was in a fog.”
Homeless and without hope, she scrambled to survive on the streets and in shelters for almost seven years, her search for a new home rejected at every turn.
“It was always scary,” Mary-Elizabeth said. “I had to learn to go into survival mode and keep my guard up and keep looking over my shoulder.”
Mary-Elizabeth, now 56, was kicked out of coffee shops when she tried to charge her phone and ridiculed for her disheveled appearance when she stopped at public parks for a rest.
She feared being attacked every time she had to leave a shelter to sleep on the streets and had to constantly guard against others who were homeless.
“I had to be careful with who I made friends with because if they were addicted to drugs, they would steal my stuff or they would come with me to stores and steal and then I would get in trouble, too. So, I had to learn to be careful with who I associated with.”
Unable to improve her own life, Mary-Elizabeth turned to her role as a caregiver for solace – focusing on homeless children. She dug into her meager savings, sometimes going without food, to buy tents and sleeping bags for the children.
“There are so many homeless kids out there, and they’re lost,” she said. “I know that many organizations try, but they always need more help. I hate seeing kids suffer.”
Mary-Elizabeth’s mental health challenges also flared, though for many years she was convinced she had them under control. Only after receiving help from the North Coastal Mental Health Center in 2023, a San Diego-based organization that provides treatment to homeless individuals with mental illness, did she realize she was hallucinating because of incorrect dosages.
This treatment marked a turning point in Mary-Elizabeth’s life.
She began losing the weight she gained during her crisis, and she was no longer plagued with odd visions. She also re-focused her efforts to find an apartment. After a referral from North Coastal Mental Health Center, she was selected as a resident of Greenbrier Village, National CORE’s latest affordable housing community in Oceanside.
Mary-Elizabeth is one of 59 new residents in the community, and she said she’s not taking her second chance for granted.
But her new apartment is just the beginning of the next phase of her journey.
She’s keeping her mental and physical health in check with regular doctor visits and keeping fit by going back to the nearby beach to boogie board and swim.
Mary-Elizabeth also wants to return to her greatest passion: teaching and encouraging young children.
“Children are like little sponges, and I love watching them learn,” Mary-Elizabeth said. “Throughout my career, I’ve seen so many kids go from troublemakers to professionals. I love being a reason why that good future is possible.”
With paint brushes in hand and a smile on her face, Mary-Elizabeth ran a face-painting booth to the delight of dozens of children at an August back-to-school celebration at National CORE’s Mission Cove affordable housing community in Oceanside.
She’s already signed up to volunteer part time as an arts and crafts teacher at the Oceanside Navigation Center, a year-round homeless shelter that provides support services to individuals looking to transition to stable housing. She said she wants to inspire others by sharing her experiences of being homeless.
Mary-Elizabeth calls Greenbrier Village her “pot of gold at the end of the rainbow” and said she’s grateful to be given such a gift.
“I’ll never forget where I came from – staying at those shelters and getting resources from local organizations when I needed it most,” Mary-Elizabeth said. “Just because I have my own apartment, doesn’t mean I won’t visit and volunteer at the shelters that helped me get back on my feet.”
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