Dec 16, 2024
Season of
Sharing Fund gave some peace of mind to retired nonprofit
leader Marlus Stewart.
Asking for help wasn’t supposed to be part of
Stewart’s story. She was the helper. But in 2019, the unimaginable
happened. Stewart’s son, her only child, died of suicide at age 50.
The grief was unbearable and struggling with health issues, she
"lost everything." She had been living in her car off and on
for about six months when she connected with Season of Sharing
through Catholic Charities. Season of Sharing Fund helped paid her
deposit after she won a housing lottery in Sonoma. Now, she and her
dog Mercedes Marie have a place to call home.
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SHARING STORIES is a new a series of portraits of people in the Bay Area who have received one-time emergency rental assistance that I working on with the SF Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund.
Rental assistance programs like Season of Sharing Fund are there for people when a month or two of rent can make the difference between staying in their home or becoming unhoused. Ultimately, rental assistance programs help prevent homelessness.
If you or someone you know has experienced an unforeseen crisis and could benefit from one-time financial assistance from the Season of Sharing Fund, learn how to apply.
If you want to hear stories from people who benefited from this safety net, subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.
Thanks for listening. And have a safe and happy holiday.