A single mom struggled to pay rent after her injuries. Season of Sharing Fund got her back on track
Desirea Crystal Avery remembers the moment her life came crashing down. One minute, she was carrying a rack of drink syrups to the back room of the Starbucks where she worked.
The next, she was slipping on a piece of ice, falling backward and hitting her head on the floor. All she could think was, “Don’t let go of the syrups, or I’ll have to clean up the mess.”
The 15-pound syrup case tore several ligaments in both her wrists, resulting in a chronic injury that still hadn’t properly healed when she was in a car crash five years later that broke her left wrist and exacerbated the damage.
“My arm didn’t look like an arm,” she said.
With her limb in a cast, she tried to return to work as a field investigator doing background checks for potential federal government employees but struggled because she couldn’t easily type or stuff envelopes. She took four months off on disability and sick leave.
During that time, her pay was cut almost in half, causing her to fall behind on her rent for the small housing unit she shared with her 10-year-old daughter Shelby in Pacifica.
Now, a year on, her life is slowly getting back on track, enabled by her determination to give Shelby a better life, her landlord’s cooperation as she tried to get caught up on rent and the financial assistance provided by the Season of Sharing Fund, which works throughout the year to prevent homelessness and hunger in the nine-county Bay Area. All donations go directly to help people in need.
“It’s a really good program. They don’t make you feel bad. You don’t have to feel guilty or ashamed. They’re really kind and patient and have a lot of compassion.”
Her landlord, Jefferson Wong, encouraged her to reach out to hotlines for help. Calling various numbers led her to the Pacifica Resource Center, a community partner for the Season of Sharing Fund. The fund was able to provide her with rental assistance, which was transferred directly to her landlord.
“It’s a really good program,” Avery said. “They don’t make you feel bad. You don’t have to feel guilty or ashamed. They’re really kind and patient and have a lot of compassion.”
Avery was raised in Campbell by a Japanese American father and “Southern belle” mom, she said.
She remembers a joyful childhood playing soccer in school, coached by her dad. But she struggled in classes due to then-undiagnosed learning disabilities and ended up dropping out of West Valley College. She spent the next 13 years working at a San Jose Starbucks, eventually becoming a manager.
After she injured her wrists falling at work in 2019, she returned to college to complete her associate’s degree, wanting to teach her daughter to aim higher. Then her father, a Vietnam War veteran, was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2022.
“My dad was my best friend and support system, which sucks because I wanted him to see that I did something with my life,” she said. A year after he died, she got the job working for the federal contractor and moved to Pacifica.
In Pacifica, she struggled as a single mom raising her daughter in a new place, without friends or family nearby. Her mom had moved to Texas by that point to live with Avery’s aunt. Meanwhile, Avery’s boyfriend, with whom she’d been sharing costs, became abusive and moved out, leaving her to shoulder the rent on her own.
Then, in May last year, as she was driving her daughter home, she fell asleep at the wheel. When she woke up, her car was careening toward a light pole. She swerved to the right, crashing into it on the driver’s side, according to the incident report. Shelby was hit in the head by a glass jar upon impact but was not badly injured.
With a broken wrist and unable to work, Avery began drawing from her 401(k) retirement account to pay the rent. That’s when her landlord suggested she apply for rental assistance. Avery had never sought this kind of help before.
“It took her a while to come by because she didn’t want to ask for help,” said her case manager, Marina Hernandez. “It was a really good outcome.”
In November, Avery moved into a new two-bedroom apartment to make room for her mom, who moved back from Texas to help support her. Avery, although able to work again, had been furloughed during the government shutdown. As Avery carried boxes of their towels and sheets, Shelby quickly befriended a neighbor’s fluffy black cat.
“The cat is drinking water!” she exclaimed, as she watched the cat lap from a puddle.
Avery carefully placed an urn, containing her dad’s ashes, onto her nightstand in the new home. Her mom cooked ramen for Shelby.
“My daughter is the reason I do everything,” Avery said. “I have to show her that if she puts her mind to something, you can do something.”
Reach Ko Lyn Cheang: kolyn.cheang@sfchronicle.com
WAYS TO HELP
Neighbors Help Neighbors
At Season of Sharing Fund, we believe that an unexpected financial crisis should never mean losing your home. Preventing homelessness isn’t just kind—it’s also the most effective way to keep our communities thriving. 100% of your donation keeps Bay Area residents housed, cared for and nourished.
JOIN THE LIST
Inspiration and Impact, Right in Your Inbox
Latest Stories of Hope
Meet David
Meet Fay
Meet Marie
Meet David
Meet Fay