Granddaughter of Author of 1965 Legislation that Established HUD Faces her 2nd Utah Winter Without a Home

Good evening, I am a 53 year old woman facing my second Utah Winter without a home. In August, 2024 I was priced out of my apartment of 8 years after a surprise substantial "market value" monthly increase in my rent. I had a $5,000 emergency fund I was able to utilize from January through July. In August, these funds ran out and for the first time in my life I found myself without a home. On August 15, 2024, I moved into my 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander. It WAS and still IS devastating.

I spent 2 decades helping homeless individuals with mental illness find housing and hope and live meaningful lives. Because I do not fall into any of the siloed systems of care (including behavior health, SUD, DV, etc) that receive housing dollars from federal and state entities, I have been unable to access ANY help whatsoever to get rehoused.

I have written letters to everyone from the Governor to the Housing Authority to my Bishop, sharing my story, including several ironic pieces of my story: My Grandfather, James SanJule, played an integral role in creating the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1965, writing much of the legislation that established it. He also co-founded Eichler Homes, which built modern tract homes in California. The company, which was nationally known for its contemporary design and socially responsible planning, was among the only developers to integrate the communities they created. (https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/James-San-Jule-89-S-F-pioneer-housing-2628975.php).

I am still alive today due to my resilience and refusal to give up; my relentless faith in God and my belief that growth often comes through suffering and strife; my intense fear of taking my own life; and the generous help from a small group of strangers I have met online during the past 15 months.

I am writing tonight for two reasons--first, I am in immediate need of help. I have been doing gig work to stay alive. I have an 8pm DD shift and am stuck in West Valley without ANY gas whatsoever. If anyone can help throw a couple of dollars into my tank so that I can work tonight and get to a safe place afterwards for the night, I would be beyond appreciative. I am at the Smiths gas station on 4065 S Redwood Rd, Salt Lake City, UT 84123.

My car, pushing 270k miles, is my transportation, my home, and my livelihood. It is in desperate need of numerous repairs but after the first snow of the year today, it is clear that I need a replacement right front tire. This tire is so bald that everytime I went over 25mph, I was hydroplaning everywhere. Am looking for anyone who might have one laying around that they don't need. It is P225/55R18.The left front and the rear right are both full of fix a flat. I have no idea how that will impact their functionality in the rain/snow. Any advice would be appreciated.

My second reason for writing is, after 15 months of struggling to stay alive, I am losing hope that I can continue to survive. My health issues just from the past year are too long to list. I am scared to death to face the snow again. Last year, I honestly believed that my car would become my tomb--that some poor person would find my frozen body in here. I am asking for any recommendations on successfully getting rehoused. I don't want to die out here. Plain and simple.

Hopefully, my post will actually get posted. I haven't had a lot of success with Reddit and frankly don't understand why that majority of my writings never get posted. 🤞 Love always, Jill