How caring staff and wraparound services helped a woman transition from the streets to stable housing
For some people who’ve been homeless for years, housing is a return to stability. For others, it’s the first time living behind a locked door — the first time their belongings are safe and secure.
This transition can be challenging. It often means unlearning survival habits and processing the trauma of living outside, while adjusting to life indoors with modern — sometimes unfamiliar —amenities. For Tammy, a former DESC client who now lives independently in an adult family home, it was the compassionate care of DESC staff that made all the difference.
Adjusting to Housing
When Tammy was first introduced to DESC through The Clinic at Hobson Place in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, she was looking for a case manager. That same day, staff found her shelter and sent her to the Kerner-Scott House to stay for the evening.
“That had never happened to me before,” Tammy said, reflecting on how quickly she was able to get to a safe place for the night.
From Kerner-Scott House, Tammy transferred to DESC’s The Gateway — a shelter with private and semi-private units of emergency, temporary housing paired with 24/7 on-site support and wraparound services including case management and housing navigation. But because she had lived unhoused since childhood, without access to modern conveniences like air conditioning or television, it took her time to feel comfortable and at ease in the new space.
“I had a hard time when I got to Gateway because I didn’t know how to live indoors,” Tammy said. “I had to sit with my shoes on still.”
One day, Tammy took apart her television because it had a light that stayed on all night, frightening her — technology she had never experienced before.
“When I look back on it, it was just technology, and me not knowing anything about things that happened in a home,” she said.
Despite these challenges, DESC staff supported Tammy every step of the way — helping her navigate mental health struggles, overcome her addiction to methamphetamine, and adjust to life indoors. Over time, she no longer felt the need to keep a bag packed for an emergency she believed was imminent and instead began to settle in and build a sense of home, accumulating belongings of her own.
Unwavering Staff Support
Tammy fondly remembers one DESC staff member in particular, Fernando, who checked in with her every day and helped her move her belongings when she transferred to DESC’s Burbridge Place.
Living at Burbridge was the first time Tammy had a place of her own to care for. It was also the first time she owned something as simple, and meaningful, as a plant: a small bamboo tree she treasured. When she moved from Burbridge into an adult family home, Fernando was there to help her every step of the way, carefully moving her belongings — including her beloved bamboo plant, which he had been attending while she was in the hospital — into her new home.
“He came the day I moved in here and had my bamboo plant,” she said, getting emotional. “He kept it alive, and he was very sentimental about it because it was the first plant I’ve ever had in my life.”
A collaboration between Fernando, staff at Burbridge, and a partner organization WeCare helped Tammy through her substance use disorder, doing whatever it took to take her for her methadone dose. While she was in the hospital for hip surgery, they took out her trash, did her laundry, and cleaned out her fridge so she could return to a clean home.
One staff member even put himself down as Tammy’s emergency contact for her surgery, promising to honor her wishes to be an organ donor if something were to happen during the operation.
“He didn’t have to get that deep with me, he really didn’t, but he did,” she said.
Learning a New Way of Living
Often times, homelessness is generational. Tammy grew up homeless with parents struggling with substance use disorder near Atlanta, Georgia.
“I pretty much grew up in the back seat of my car,” she said.
After cycling in and out of incarceration, Tammy was repeatedly released without any support — no plan for housing, employment, or stability. Without options, she fell back on what she had learned growing up: stealing cars and living in them.
After moving around the U.S. for years, Tammy eventually made her way to Seattle in 2012 with her partner at the time. She spent the following years struggling to survive, often on Seattle’s Third Avenue downtown, where she navigated the daily realities of living unhoused.
When Tammy finally found safety at Burbridge, the experience was overwhelming. She had never owned a car or lived in an apartment, and having a place of her own was entirely new.
“Y’all were the first ones that ever gave me somewhere to live,” she said of DESC.
According to Tammy, every step in the journey is a step forward — even when it doesn’t feel that way. When someone who has lived unhoused for years is struggling to adjust to life indoors, even the smallest actions are signs of progress.
“I’ve come a really long way,” Tammy said. “I am definitely proof that the work these people come in and do every day … is absolutely producing very good things.”
Looking Forward
Tammy lived at DESC’s Burbridge Place for a year and a half and moved out in September 2025 into an adult family residence. She now has a place to stay, has stopped using substances like fentanyl and methamphetamine, and has belongings of her own — including her treasured bamboo tree.
She also has time to learn about the world around her.
“I get so curious, and my mind is so hungry,” Tammy said of her recently found passion for pursuing knowledge. “I read on my phone, and I just can’t get enough of it.”
“I didn’t know I could think like this, and it started with having a place to stay, and people consistently giving a sh*t about me,” she said. “I’m in a place where I can look back at it, and remember all the things y’all did for me, and it means a lot.”
When asked about people who may not understand addiction, mental health disorders, or homelessness, Tammy said she understands why these experiences can seem frustrating or confusing from the outside. But, she explained, there is so much happening internally for her — and for others facing these challenges — that isn’t always visible.
“There are people working [out there], but I’m working in here,” she said, pointing to her heart.
Tammy’s story shows that housing is the first step, but not the only step. Behavioral health services, wraparound care, and staff who care and assertively support our clients are essential to ensuring a path toward stability — however long that takes.
“Y’all are my safety,” said Tammy, adding that she knows DESC staff will be there for her no matter what happens. “I know I can always come back to DESC.”