Homelessness Came as a Shock to the Silvas
Mr. and Mrs. Silva had raised their children and become grandparents. He had a stable income as a drywall installer. Then one day his boss noticed that he was sweating profusely and asked if he was OK . . . and that is the last thing he remembers. He woke up seven weeks later in the hospital, after a heart attack, a triple bypass, and a medically induced coma because, every time he started to wake up, he tried to remove his wires and tubes.
He has intermittent memories of his recovery time, but they are all of the same image — his wife’s face, seen through those wires and tubes. She did not leave his side. They were high school sweethearts and have been married for 39 years.
While Mr. Silva was in the hospital, the couple lost their housing. Medical bills mounted and Mrs. Silva couldn’t pay the bills and the rent. When Mr. Silva was discharged from the hospital, they lived in their car. Unfortunately, the bypass operation did not improve his heart function enough for him to return to work, and Mrs. Silva struggles with her own health issues.
They were stunned at how quickly they became homeless.
The Silvas are Home at Forest Point Place
“We were raised that if you can’t afford it, you just don’t do it. You don’t ask for help,” Mrs. Silva says. So when they met Jonelle, an outreach worker with Hearts for the Invisible Charlotte Coalition, it took them time to build trust.
“I had to ask them: ‘Let me help you!’” Jonelle shares. And eventually they did.
“That was God at work,” says Mr. Silva.
In January, the Silvas learned that they had been matched with a studio apartment at Forest Point Place, Roof Above’s newest permanent supportive housing program. Made possible through a generous partnership with Mecklenburg County, the program is for tenants aged 55 and older.
Community partnerships are invaluable in helping our neighbors experiencing unsheltered homelessness find housing.
Roof Above’s Property Manager at Forest Point Place, Kameelah Pearson, walked Mr. and Mrs. Silva through their lease signing and welcomed them to the property. Jonelle was there with a whole crew from Hearts for the Invisible to welcome them home.
“I am not sure I quite believe it yet,” says Mr. Silva, “but I am so relieved. We need to rest.”
Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Silva! Watch them move into their apartment at Forest Point Place: