Meet Clara
Hello! I’m Clara and I am a resident services coordinator for REACH in Vancouver, WA.
My story, like many of us, has similar parallels to the residents that I work with. I raised my three children as a single parent and lived in subsidized housing in Ridgefield, WA for 16 years. I know firsthand how difficult it is to navigate the various services and the struggle to make ends meet trying to provide a safe home for your family while working to become self-sustaining.
We’ve all seen the rapid growth in population and the sharp rent increases that have affected our community. In addition, years of federal cuts to social services have left our community with little resources available to meet the increased need. I speak from experience when I tell you, these are difficult days for seniors and the hard-working families that call the Northwest home.
I’m doing my part to give back to the community I love.
The interactions with residents is my favorite part of my work. Many of the seniors at Isabella Court I have run their own businesses, have seen the world and served our country in our armed forces. We even have a 94-year-old resident who served in WWII. I love seeing their creativity and eagerness to come together and build a community.
I love my job, and like all jobs, some parts are better than others. One of the least favorite parts of my job is when I have to tell a resident that there are no resources available to help them when they need assistance. When we have the resources to be of assistance, the impact is enormous. It’s bigger than enormous!
My work doesn’t feel like work. It’s like helping a neighbor.
Recently, I had two residents that both had unexpected medical emergencies. The stress of an unplanned medical procedure is stressful enough, before tacking on the added worry of how to pay the medical bills and rent because they’re on a fixed income. Through donations to REACH I was able to help the residents with 1-time rental assistance through our Housing Stability Fund. They were both so incredibly grateful and relieved. Both are now able to focus on healing without the added pressure of not having enough to make ends meet and on the way to a full recovery.
At Isabella Court II, even with many being previously houseless, residents are pitching in to help their neighbors. I see them checking in on each other when they’re sick and even going through their own belongings to see if they have anything that someone else could use in their home. Just the other day a new resident shared with me that, before REACH, they had waited in homeless shelters for 2 years and were not able to have visitors. Words cannot describe how happy her two kids are about their new home because grandma can now come and visit them.
It’s hard work, but what keeps me going are the people.
Every day I see the impact your donation to REACH is having in our community. Whether it’s celebrating when a resident gets a new job or a senior who now has a place for their grandkids to visit.
Working at REACH gives me the opportunity to give back to my community. From the veterans who have served our country in time of war, to the families working hard to give their kids every opportunity, I am helping my neighbors, and that doesn’t feel like work. Donations allow me to be an advocate for them and support so that they can achieve their goals and thrive.
The work is challenging yet incredibly rewarding and I can’t do it alone. We need your support to provide a fresh start to a homeless family working to achieve housing success and stability for seniors living on fixed incomes.
