Maria and Carmen are two sisters from Puerto Rico who came to New York City together when their mother died. Maria had a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, while Carmen struggled with clinical depression. The two women had lived their whole lives together and served as each other’s support systems. After spending one month living with a family friend – the only person they knew in the United States – Maria and Carmen became homeless. Placed in two different shelters, they were separated for the first time in their lives.
Maria was placed in CAMBA’s Broadway House Shelter, where she told the Housing Specialist that her goal was to be reunited with her sister Carmen. The Specialist established contact with Carmen and began work on finding a placement for the two women. Progress was halted for three months when Maria was hospitalized after she decompensated because she had stopped taking her medication. After Maria was discharged, the CAMBA team at Broadway House went back to work. Coordinating with Carmen’s shelter, the Housing Specialist arranged an interview for the sisters at a Manhattan SRO, but the facility lacked the Spanish-speaking staff the women would need since they had limited English skills.
Persistence paid off when placements became available at the Rugged Cross Apartments, a supportive housing facility where CAMBA provides on-site social services. Broadway House staff and a team from CAMBA Housing Ventures worked together to arranged side by side apartments for Maria and Carmen. As neighbors, Carmen is available to coach Maria about taking her medication and keeping her medical appointments. Both sisters are taking the steps they need to control their illnesses and both are thriving in their new homes.