Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article Renee Boult was her mother’s favorite child. Her eight siblings would have confirmed this, said Boult, who grew up in a brown, red-roofed house on Camelia Street in Berkeley. Boult became homeless in her 20s. After years of struggle and drug addiction, she put herself through school, got […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article The Cheesecake Factory in Union Square will always hold a special place in Earl Abad’s heart. Not for its warm ambiance or rooftop views, nor its rich desserts or hearty meals. Rather, it was the place where he and his wife Monica would go to treat themselves when […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article For more than a decade, David Rodriguez lived by a lot of rules and restrictions. The kitchen in the house where he rented a room was often off-limits, forcing him to rely on takeout dinners. Rodriguez’s landlords, who were also his roommates, told everyone to reduce their electricity […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article Juan Francisco Amaya did not plan to leave his home country of El Salvador to come to the United States in 2017. However, the gang violence prevalent at the time and a traumatic encounter with law enforcement forced him to flee, searching for a better life for his […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article Olivia Alatorre loves seafood. Lobster, shrimp, oysters — she could eat seafood all day and be happy as a clam. But since she was diagnosed with aggressive stomach cancer in 2021, Alatorre, 67, has struggled to keep most food down. The diagnosis came two years into Alatorre’s retirement, […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article When Ina Albert was laid off from her job as a school office manager in 2021, her world fell apart. She lost her work community, income and benefits. The 35-year-old Oakland resident fell into depression, consumed by anxiety and financial stress. She started working as a DoorDash driver […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article Marlus Stewart built a life around supporting people wrestling through enormous obstacles. Orphaned at age 11, sober by 35 and running a drug abuse treatment program by her 50s, Stewart had pushed through setbacks with grit and resilience. Asking for help wasn’t supposed to be part of Stewart’s […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article As with many people, Stefán Christenberry’s woes began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Laid off from his job as a home care nurse two years ago, Christenberry said he panicked and took the first nursing job he could find. That role didn’t work out, and he again found himself […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article Doris Dennis stood in front of her stove frying homemade taquitos. After only a few minutes, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and collapsed onto a chair, out of breath. Dennis, 62, suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension and osteoarthritis, and has trouble walking. On most […]
Explore OurStories of Hope Share this Article Patricia Guevara’s pain started two years ago — in her back and her knees. At first, her father, Jose Guevara, wondered whether the seventh-grader was trying to get out of going to school. But soon it became clear Patti wasn’t faking. Guevara’s daughter’s pain only worsened — soon […]
