Read the full article by Sterling Davies at Sacramento News & Review
Airrea Craven, 24, has just secured a hotel with government funds for her and her two daughters to stay for the week, and while their clothes are washing in the sink, she opens one of the few dollar-store warm-up meals that she has portioned out for tonight’s dinner.
Homelessness has been a factor in Craven’s life since her childhood, but when her daughter, now 3 years old, was born, these struggles resurfaced. Prior to having her first daughter, Craven was living with her father, but being unable to find a stable job, day care, and housing to support the two of them, her once stable housing accommodation was no longer available to her.
Throughout the years, Craven has moved between different shelters, hotels, and cars to keep her and her children safe and warm, but pressure and stress continue to mount knowing that each solution is only temporary, and the possibility of living on the street inches closer. “Every day is just battling,” Craven said. “Where are we going to go? What are we going to do? How are we going to eat? It’s constant questioning.”
The rise in Sacramento County’s unhoused population has become a growing concern, and with the economic downturn spurred by the pandemic, more Black families and children are left struggling to find the resources to find adequate housing.