Janet
“It’s perfect. I can just step across the street to go wherever I need to go. I rely on the transportation to get me where I need to go.” – Janet
As Janet takes us on a short tour of the Vista Transit Center, she stops to say hello to the bus driver; they’ve become good friends. Janet uses public transportation almost daily, and having it available right across the street from her apartment makes it convenient and helps her save money.
Janet is one of 200 residents who call Community HousingWorks’ new North Santa Fe Apartments home. Before moving into the Vista apartment community, Janet was struggling to find a home she could afford. She had lived in a senior apartment community in Oceanside for many years, but was forced to find another place to live when another company bought the property and they raised her rent. Janet found herself in less than ideal conditions, trying to make ends meet on her own. “It was a struggle, an everyday struggle,” she says. “Not married and trying to have that independence is a challenge.”
As Janet was riding the bus one day to her job at Ross, Janet saw the construction of North Santa Fe Apartments and a fellow rider informed her that Community HousingWorks was building affordable apartments there. Later that day, Janet looked the community up online and signed up for the interest list. Less than a year later, Janet is now a proud resident of North Santa Fe Apartments. She shares,
“It was a blessing for them to call me because it was a huge need at the time. Affordability was a huge factor; working part time is not enough money. There’s a reason that I’m here.”
Janet relies heavily on living in a community with easy access to transit, shopping, and recreation. She takes the West-bound train to her job in Carlsbad. She takes the bus to Stater Brothers or Food for Less if she needs to get groceries. Janet says,
“It’s perfect. I can just step across the street to go wherever I need to go. I rely on the transportation to get me where I need to go.”
Today, Janet is passionate about giving back to her surrounding community and is a leader among the residents living at North Santa Fe. As a child, Janet was never encouraged to complete her education, but when she was raising her daughters, she was committed to providing a better future for them. Janet has seen how education has helped her daughters move ahead in life (one is a doctor and the other an attorney) and has dedicated herself to helping the children in her apartment community find the same success. That’s why, every week, Janet volunteers in CHW’s onsite Learning Center, assisting Kindergarten through Third graders with reading and comprehension skills. Janet has also organized and led resident clean up days, as she strives to be a positive influence to everyone around her by promoting a constant can-do attitude.
Now that Janet has found a safe and stable home where she can still have her own independence, Janet shares,
“My goal is to have a stable life where I’m not always worried and to be able to own a home. To afford a home and still do my part in helping the community, that’s really important.”
Janet plans to take advantage of CHW’s financial stability programs, including classes and coaching, to bring her closer to becoming more financially secure.
