(Photo Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Maria was 43 years old with five children, unemployed and living in her SUV. She also was seven months pregnant.
Just weeks earlier, she was managing an apartment complex and had been regularly employed for 19 years.
But her marriage fell apart, and staying in her apartment became untenable. Her estranged husband worked for the same property company as she did, and that caused problems getting an effective restraining order.
The couple’s fights led the company to put pressure on her to leave.
“I was told to move. They gave me just a few days,” said Maria, who asked that her last name not be disclosed to protect her children’s privacy. “I had nowhere to go. I never, ever thought I’d be homeless with my kids.”