Maria first shared her story with ECS in 2024 in “Finding Silver Linings.” Her story made it clear that her resilience and optimism were more powerful than the trauma she experienced. With the help of ECS Uptown Safe Haven (UTSH), Maria was finally able to shed the weight of the struggles that were keeping her down.

A year and a half later, Maria gave a second interview, this time in the coziness of her own home — the first apartment she’s ever had. “I've never owned anything, and I'm very blessed to have it. I get to be me here. This is my home sweet home, where my heart is.”

The apartment may be Maria’s private sanctuary, but she happily shares it with someone else: her cat, Joey. Maria adopted Joey from a homeless man outside of a grocery store. When he asked Maria if she had a good home for his kitten, she could proudly respond “yes.” “He's my companion. He makes me happy,” she said. “I know God put him here for me. I know that 100%. I think ‘you didn’t have a home, and I didn't have a home,’ so there you go. We have a home together.”

Maria expressed that — in many ways — life is new to her now, and she is taking it all in with gratitude, loving every moment. She loves learning new things, enjoys immersing herself in nature walks, and is appreciative of everything she has.

Giving back is also a passion of Maria’s. She frequently gives money and food to homeless people she sees, and if she can’t give anything away, she makes sure to just be kind and bring a smile to their face. “Making sure that they smile, that makes me happy. That's the happiest times of my day,” she said.

The most important component of Maria’s life is her spirituality. “To me, being close to God is the most important thing. This is because all of this [is] because of God,” she said, gesturing to her new home. Maria values being close to God and often experiences signs from Him, which she refers to as “synchronicity.” “I find Band-Aids all the time, at least once or twice a week... that's a healing thing,” Maria explained. “I live on God's path. I stay on God's path. And that's why he gives me signs all the time.”

*Maria sits in her new apartment. January 2026.*

When Maria still lived at UTSH, a vision board hung on her wall. That vision board is now stored in her closet because everything on it has come true. She brought it out and examined the cut-out images of cats, an iPhone, and words like “healing” and “hope” stuck to the board, all of which she has now.

She has also progressed from the singular gratitude journal she was writing in every day in 2024 to stacks of dozens of journals; every page filled with lists of the blessings in Maria’s life. “I never missed a date,” she said. “Having gratitude for me goes a long way. I think it makes me very strong, because I got very strong.”

One thing Maria especially has gratitude for is UTSH. “Safe Haven, that's my second family. I don't know what I would do without them,” she shared. “They got me to where I'm at, and they're my family. I don't have real family here so they're my family. That's my second home here.”

Maria is grateful for the life she has built around herself and the help UTSH offered to get her to where she is now. As she put it, she is thankful to have a “beautiful home” and a “more beautiful cat.” Maria is set on staying sober from substance use for the rest of her life and living life to the fullest every day.

Uptown Safe Haven is a residential facility that provides transitional housing and supportive services to chronically homeless single adults with severe mental health issues. To learn more about Uptown Safe Haven, visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/uptown-safe-haven-1.