I crossed paths with Mariellen, a homeless woman who is 55-years old, and hearing impaired with nerve damage in her left eye from injuries sustained in a violent assault, from which she  suffers from untreated PTSD.

 

Her dog is her support system. She worked for Dollar General for 6 years, but lost her job after medical issues (4 herniated disc and spinal stenosis). And now she finds herself and her animals, a dog and cat, living in a tent in the back of an empty lot.

 

I've provided her with what I can, and will work to access the limited social safety net we have, but she can't go into a shelter, because that means she would have to give up her animals, which are her family. I would like to get her in a safe housing situation ASAP, and then find the social services that she needs, so that she can live safely.