This is the area where my child was bathed every morning. We usually had to take showers in the garage because we had no access to the bathroom in the house. The bathroom in the house did not have hot water and was always getting clogged. In order to bathe with hot water, we had to heat water on the stove. Sometimes my husband and I did not take a shower because we had no access to the bathroom or because we could not tolerate the cold water. Because of these conditions, my daughter always felt frustrated and angry when she had to take her bath in the garage. It broke my heart to see my daughter so sad because she did not want to take a shower, either because the water was too cold or too hot. Our physical, mental, and emotional health were negatively affected because of the conditions under which we were forced to live. I felt like I had failed as a parent because my daughter was suffering due to our living conditions. There must be some policy changes in order to prevent homelessness. We need more laws to stop illegal evictions to help reduce homelessness.

—Deyser