By day, Jonathan was a student at Cal State LA, tirelessly working to obtain a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. By night, he was homeless, living illegally on the very same campus – clinging to shadows to avoid detection by security. This went on for four years.
Jonathan, a 32-year-old Angelino born with a spinal disease that restricts his mobility, relies on a wheelchair to get around – but won’t let the limitation define him.
When his parents refused to see past his disability, arguing that he could never handle a full-time job or live alone, he chose to become homeless rather than let them stop him from becoming his best self.
“My family thought that since I used a wheelchair and had a physical disability, I would not be able to live on my own,” Jonathan said. “We just had too many disagreements, so I chose to be homeless instead of living there.”
Without the financial means to rent an apartment, Jonathan fell into an absurd routine. By day, he attended classes and worked as an on-campus safety monitor in a mechanical engineering lab. His tuition and food were covered by financial aid and the part-time job. On paper, he appeared to be still living at home.
Each night, he would find hidden nooks on campus where he could sleep at night, always fearful security guards would hear him as he slept. He used the campus gym showers to stay clean and stashed his few personal items in a work locker to keep up the appearance that he was housed.
“I knew that being homeless was a bad situation, but at least I found some freedom away from my family,” he said. “I know it’s strange to say, but I was more at peace when I was homeless than when I had to live at home. My depression was so bad because of all the fighting and the way they treated me. I don’t regret doing what I did at the time.”
For four years it worked. Then, just as he feared, he got caught.
Jonathan worried college administrators would put him on the street or send him to a shelter, options that filled him with dread. He imagined being robbed of his wheelchair and being left to crawl on sidewalks or sleeping on filthy shelter mattresses as bedbugs nicked away at his flesh.
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive on the actual streets,” Jonathan said. “It was scary just to think about it.”
Instead, the college’s response was very different. Administrators provided him with temporary on-campus housing while he searched for a new home. Jonathan was able to establish Social Security disability payments and he soon moved into an apartment with several roommates.
All was going well until the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Jonathan lost his campus job and his apartment. However, his radical decision to leave home had one major benefit: His family welcomed him back home and apologized for misjudging him.
Still, he yearned for independence.
“Being born with a physical disability, I always felt that people would look at me with pity and I never liked that,” he said. “I have always wanted to prove that I can do what others can do.”
Jonathan found his chance when a friend told him about a social media item. This led him to Las Dahlias, National CORE’s new affordable housing community in East Los Angeles.
Jonathan said his new Las Dahlias apartment is the freedom he’s been longing for. The space is a refuge, free from doubtful eyes and a chance to prove that he can take care of himself.
He has a job as a data entry analyst at Los Angeles Apparel and he’s taking the final six courses he needs for his degree. He’d even like to earn a master’s degree, so he can provide financial assistance for his aging parents.
Las Dahlia’s proximity to the Metro E Line also allows Jonathan to boost his mobility even further, giving him the means to explore a whole new world of possibilities.
“I feel like I missed a lot of experiences that you have when you move out in your 20s,” Jonathan said. “Moving to Las Dahlias means that I have more responsibilities, like paying for utilities or finally having a cell phone in my name. I feel like I’m finally living.”
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