{"id":11723,"date":"2023-07-27T12:00:24","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T19:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/?p=11723"},"modified":"2023-08-05T09:24:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-05T16:24:44","slug":"theres-no-way-to-not-lose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/","title":{"rendered":"‘There’s No Way to Not Lose’"},"content":{"rendered":"

This month, I\u2019m catching up with an old friend, Shauna, and her sweet dog, Koa.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The last time we chatted, Shauna was finally settling into her apartment, only to be served with an eviction notice from her landlord. This triggered several months of uncertainty and anxiety, but with a support system, which included legal counsel (privately funded by community members), Shauna was able to stay in her apartment and fight the false claims against her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What has happened since we last spoke?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Shauna and Koa. (photo: courtesy Shauna)<\/p><\/div>\n

Shauna:<\/strong> It\u2019s been a rough few months. I had started the process of moving back into my car when I got the eviction notice. I rented a storage unit and began the process of moving out from the top of three flights of stairs, not knowing how my appeal would go. So, I had to pay for the storage unit and gas to go back and forth to the unit. Finally, just recently, I received the letter to dismiss the case. I\u2019m still waiting for the final paperwork from the court, at which point I will sue the landlord. Being able to stay after this period of freaking out and my world coming apart has been the greatest feeling of my entire life.<\/p>\n

While all this was going on, my car was having issues. It\u2019s old, so I have to refill the water and put air in the tires every time I use it. Then, when I was visiting the encampment, it was impounded. The paperwork to get it back was a nightmare \u2014 not to mention the cost kept increasing the longer it took to get the proper paperwork and money together.<\/p>\n

On top of that, my closest friend passed away, and I feel like some part of me is gone. I depended on her a lot, and we had so much in common. She understood me. She went through what I went through. We lived in the same encampment and worked to find housing together. She luckily ended up with a good landlord and a lovely place in Long Beach with great light where she could do her art.<\/p>\n

Things keep happening, and I feel like I can\u2019t keep up. Sometimes I feel like I want to dig a hole and get in it, but then what? So, I keep going.<\/p>\n

What has been working? What has been giving you hope?<\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly, I\u2019ve been working hard to stay cockroach-free at my place. Look, I know so many people who have it worse. At the end of my day, I have my car, my dog, and my home. I have people who have helped me as I\u2019ve dealt with all these crazy things over the past months. I\u2019m surrounded by some angels. Things could be worse. Without these people, I wouldn\u2019t have my home, my car, or my dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

Housing is a huge hurdle but not the only one to overcome for individuals trying to rebuild and sustain their independence. Shauna\u2019s rent is covered, but she only gets about $253 in EBT (food stamps) and $221 in general relief (cash). \u201cI\u2019m not eating high on the hog. I buy frozen and canned foods because they\u2019re cheaper. No fresh fruits and vegetables, too expensive. That\u2019s what I live off of.\u201d If she gets a job or makes any money, that amount is reduced and the benefits get taken away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no way to not lose. I don\u2019t even know what I could do. I\u2019m in pain all the time from years of just\u2026 this. My back hurts,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To add to the curveballs Shauna\u2019s been dealing with already, the Department of Mental Health is trying to find her a new caseworker because her current therapist just went on medical leave for six months. The support just isn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n

Though Shauna\u2019s situation is common, the support she receives from community advocates and friends is not. A team of advocates has been able to help her fight and navigate through some very complex systems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shauna has had to be resilient in the face of much adversity. And in her words, \u201cIt\u2019s [messed] up and beautiful all at the same time.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The balance of community support and systemic failure and frustration. I\u2019m going to leave you with that sentiment.<\/p>\n

What can we as individuals do to help? Simply care. spt<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This month, I\u2019m catching up with an old friend, Shauna, and her sweet dog, Koa.\u00a0 The last time we chatted, Shauna was finally settling into her apartment, only to be served with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":10923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n'There's No Way to Not Lose' - San Pedro Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'There's No Way to Not Lose' - San Pedro Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This month, I\u2019m catching up with an old friend, Shauna, and her sweet dog, Koa.\u00a0 The last time we chatted, Shauna was finally settling into her apartment, only to be served with […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"San Pedro Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sanpedrotoday\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-07-27T19:00:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-05T16:24:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/san-pedro-today-homelessness-shauna-kona_rgb-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amber Sheikh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sanpedrotoday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sanpedrotoday\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amber Sheikh\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b54d1772cc2a6f4b5a446d7a7bb72d33\"},\"headline\":\"‘There’s No Way to Not Lose’\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-27T19:00:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-05T16:24:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\"},\"wordCount\":757,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Community Voices\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\",\"name\":\"'There's No Way to Not Lose' - San Pedro Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-07-27T19:00:24+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-05T16:24:44+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"‘There’s No Way to Not Lose’\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/\",\"name\":\"San Pedro Today\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"San Pedro Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/spt_logo_400x100.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/spt_logo_400x100.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"San Pedro Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sanpedrotoday\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sanpedrotoday\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sanpedrotoday\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b54d1772cc2a6f4b5a446d7a7bb72d33\",\"name\":\"Amber Sheikh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc0dac62a330a3e213af6dab9e8ee0fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc0dac62a330a3e213af6dab9e8ee0fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amber Sheikh\"},\"description\":\"Amber Sheikh is a San Pedro resident, mother of two, community advocate, and owner of Sheikh\/Impact, a nonprofit consulting firm. She has nearly two decades of experience working in and with organizations solving homelessness and income inequality.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/author\/ambersheikh\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"'There's No Way to Not Lose' - San Pedro Today","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"'There's No Way to Not Lose' - San Pedro Today","og_description":"This month, I\u2019m catching up with an old friend, Shauna, and her sweet dog, Koa.\u00a0 The last time we chatted, Shauna was finally settling into her apartment, only to be served with […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/","og_site_name":"San Pedro Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sanpedrotoday","article_published_time":"2023-07-27T19:00:24+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-05T16:24:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/san-pedro-today-homelessness-shauna-kona_rgb-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amber Sheikh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sanpedrotoday","twitter_site":"@sanpedrotoday","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/"},"author":{"name":"Amber Sheikh","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b54d1772cc2a6f4b5a446d7a7bb72d33"},"headline":"‘There’s No Way to Not Lose’","datePublished":"2023-07-27T19:00:24+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-05T16:24:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/"},"wordCount":757,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Community Voices"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/","url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/","name":"'There's No Way to Not Lose' - San Pedro Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-07-27T19:00:24+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-05T16:24:44+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/2023\/07\/27\/theres-no-way-to-not-lose\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"‘There’s No Way to Not Lose’"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/","name":"San Pedro Today","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#organization","name":"San Pedro Today","url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/spt_logo_400x100.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/spt_logo_400x100.png","width":400,"height":100,"caption":"San Pedro Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sanpedrotoday","https:\/\/twitter.com\/sanpedrotoday","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sanpedrotoday\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b54d1772cc2a6f4b5a446d7a7bb72d33","name":"Amber Sheikh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc0dac62a330a3e213af6dab9e8ee0fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bc0dac62a330a3e213af6dab9e8ee0fe?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amber Sheikh"},"description":"Amber Sheikh is a San Pedro resident, mother of two, community advocate, and owner of Sheikh\/Impact, a nonprofit consulting firm. She has nearly two decades of experience working in and with organizations solving homelessness and income inequality.","url":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/author\/ambersheikh\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11723"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11723"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11775,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11723\/revisions\/11775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanpedrotoday.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}