A Santa Clarita single mother shares her struggle with homelessness in efforts to end the stigma and encourage others to reach out for support.

P.D., 45, has been sleeping in a car with her now adult son at various locations in Santa Clarita and Sylmar as she works to save enough for more permanent housing and pursue her dream of writing.

“There is a stigma to homelessness that was difficult to overcome so I could reach out for help,” she said. “But I am not alone, there are many people in this same situation.”

The dream of writing came later in life at the age of 35, when she started to write screenplays, with her latest play receiving accolades.

The single mother moved from North Carolina where she gained success as a writer, winning over 16 awards including an award from the NAACP.

“Although I began this journey as a writer in North Carolina, I knew that the opportunities I needed were not there,” she said. “After three years of producing my most recent productions bicoastally from North Carolina to Los Angeles, I decided to make a permanent move to California to better position myself for better opportunities as a writer.”

A colleague of PD promised her a place to stay in Los Angeles, as the playwright pursued her dream, but that housing was pulled a few weeks before the planned move.

“I was to stay there at least two to three months to save and secure a permanent place of my own,” she explained. “Now with nowhere to go, my children and I found ourselves living out of my car, till this day — eight months later.”

Those eight months have been the most trying time of her life, as the single mother slept in the shadows on small side streets with her son, washing up in public park bathrooms, hotel bathrooms or even fast food restrooms.

“I rely heavily on my faith system to prevent me from losing my mind because homelessness is not only an embarrassing situation, it takes a toll on you emotionally and spiritually as well,” she said.

PD works as a food courier, where she delivers throughout the valley. One day, she delivered to Santa Clarita Grocery, a local nonprofit aimed at providing food for the less fortunate, where she met Bradley Grose, a volunteer with the program.

“It took a lot of time to overcome that shame,” she said. “But I met Bradley, and finally opened up to someone, no one else knew that I was homeless.”

The mother added there is a “deep, innate survival skill” that kept her persevering through the struggle which culminated to the moment she reached out for assistance.

“After that initial reach, it became so much easier,” she said. “We tried to find shelter, but it was difficult to find adequate housing for both myself and my son.”

Grose tried to assist her in finding housing, however, local shelters were full or could not house the mother and son together.

“We kept going, even though the shelters were not able to help,” she said. “We just need a little help to get a deposit, once we have that, I can make rent.”

PD said the high cost of housing, including a deposit, moving fees and other costs are the biggest obstacles for those looking to go from the street to a home.

And she is not alone, PD wants to open the conversation and encourage others facing homelessness to not feel that sense of shame and reach out for assistance.

“Our stories are more common than you know,” she said. “Homelessness is not just people you see on the street or on the sidewalks. Life happens to people. Your story is no exception to the rule, we are in the same struggle.”

Ed. Note: The name of the woman has been removed for privacy.

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