Stories to Inspire: Vincent and Smeralda

Vincent & Smeralda

On January 12, 2010, Vincent’s and his daughter, Smeralda’s, lives changed forever.

Their home country of Haiti was rocked by a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Vincent, who lived in the city of Belladère, only felt small tremors. But he feared for his 14-year-old daughter, who at the time lived with his ex-wife in capital city of Port-au-Prince, only 16 miles from the quake’s epicenter.

“When I heard the news, I urgently traveled to Port-au-Prince with a first aid kit because the situation was very chaotic and the authorities were completely overwhelmed by the events,” he said.

Fortunately, his daughter and her mother were safe, but were forced to live in a tent as their house was deemed unsafe. Vincent decided to bring his daughter back to his home city and then shortly thereafter to the United States to give her a better life. Vincent’s mother had moved to Massachusetts a few years earlier and he said he wanted them to be close to family.

“I wanted to come to the USA because this country offers a better education and job opportunities, especially for my daughter,” he said.
Vincent, now 60, who has a law degree and worked as a French teacher for 23 years in Haiti, unfortunately couldn’t find a job that paid enough to pay rent in the Bay State and within months he and his daughter found themselves homeless.

“We lived with friends for a few months at a time in Somerville and Mattapan, and that helped, but we couldn’t stay there for long,” he said. Vincent’s friends suggested that he reach out to the local welfare office (Department of Transitional Assistance) and the pair were placed in a shelter in Lowell.

“It was stressful,” Smerlada said. “I was brought here for a better life. I was in a new country, learning a new language and it wasn’t easy. We had to start from zero.”

The pair lived in the shelter for four months before being selected in the summer of 2013 to live in one of Emmaus’ 26 units of permanent affordable housing reserved for families. In total, Emmaus has 99 units of permanent affordable housing for both families and individual adults.

According to MIT’s Livable Wage calculator, a single adult with one child in Massachusetts must make $45.57 per hour to make ends meet. Minimum wage is $15 per hour. Most immigrants make minimum wage or less, especially if language is a barrier.

Both Victor and Smerlada credit Emmaus, and the fact that they were able to live in their own apartment, with helping them to succeed.

“Emmaus played a big part,” Victor said. “I used to be independent and I never wanted to feel indebted to people. I taught my daughter how to be independent, but there are times when everyone does need some help.”

While at Emmaus, Victor was able to participate in a job training program which led to an internship at a local manufacturing company and then a job at Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods in Haverhill. Following that job, he attended another job training program and now holds a position at a manufacturing company on the North Shore.

He said he does miss teaching and is currently in a program to improve his English so that he can find a job that is less physical.

“You should always want to move forward in life,” Vincent added. “Independence is freedom.”

Smerlada graduated from Haverhill High School in 2015, attended Northern Essex Community College and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology from UMass Amherst. She now works at a hospital near Boston. She said having a stable home was critical to her success in school.

“When we got our own apartment I finally had a permanent address,” she said, adding that when they were homeless and moving from place-to-place it was tough to enroll in school without a permanent address. She said she went to three different high schools due to being homeless. “Knowing where you are going to sleep tonight is just a great feeling.”

According to the Institute for Children, Poverty and Homelessness, homeless students often fall behind their housed peers academically before they even begin high school. Additionally, students who experience homelessness are 50% less likely to graduate, four times more likely to drop out of school, and three times more likely to need special programs, as reported by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Smerlada added that once she had a permanent address she was finally able to get her driver’s license and find a job. Victor, too, got his driver’s license and saved up to buy a car. The pair also became U.S. Citizens in 2017.

Their Emmaus case manager Jeanette said Vincent and Smerlada are examples of how people can thrive when given the opportunity to succeed.
“They are both so very responsible and hardworking,” Jeanette said. “By having a stable home they were able to move forward,” Jeanette said. “Without a stable home, you can’t think ahead. You are just trying to survive and you can’t see what you are capable of accomplishing.”

Kevin

Married with a stable job, Kevin originally bought a house in Haverhill in 2003. However, he and his wife divorced shortly thereafter. A few years later the housing market crashed and he was eventually forced to do a short sale on his home.

“I really didn’t have any place to go,” he said. “I had known about Emmaus. I am glad they were here because they really helped me out. I have been very happy here.”

After spending a month in Mitch’s Place Shelter, Kevin moved to a studio efficiency apartment in Emmaus’ Evergreen building. He explained that like most people we help, he didn’t have family he could turn to. Kevin doesn’t dwell on his past mistakes. He now works part time at a local supermarket and his goal is to get a car in the near future. “It’s a good job,” he said “It fits my personality.”

He also treats himself to a nice meal twice a week at a local restaurant. He has lost 60 pounds over the pandemic and his goal is to get in better shape so that he can start running again. Kevin has run several marathons.

Jeff looked out the window of his studio Emmaus-owned apartment at Evergreen Place and watched the birds flock to his bird feeders. He smiled and explained that he just added some thistle seed to attract finches. He then turned his attention to the flower boxes below his window.

“I put petunias in last year,” he said.

Jeff first came to Emmaus four years ago. A former iron worker, Jeff said he “aged out” of the trade and found himself without a job.

“Nobody wants to hire an old man,” he said matter-of-factly.

Without an income, he couldn’t afford his rent. For a full year he lived outside. But living on the streets took its toll on him and he contracted pneumonia.
Jeff was hospitalized. The case workers suggested he find a shelter, and he found Emmaus.

“I came here with nothing,” he said. “The people were nice and I didn’t have to sleep on the street. I am just so grateful. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t found this place.”

Jessica and her young daughter came to stay at Emmaus when her ex-boyfriend moved out and she just couldn’t afford the apartment on her own income. Despite working nearly full-time at a local coffee shop, the rents in the area were just too much. She tried for a little while to swing it on her own, but eventually found her way to the shelter.

Jessica was scared and nervous to come to Emmaus, but the staff made her and her daughter feel welcome.

“You’re just not a number, they remember you,” Jessica said. “I am big time grateful for all they did to help us.”

Jessica worked while in shelter, except for the few weeks after the start of the pandemic when her daughter was home from school and most things had shut down. She was grateful during that time to have a safe place to stay, especially when she couldn’t work for those few weeks.

“I don’t think people realize how hard it is to make ends meet,” she said. “If you are making minimum wage, it just isn’t enough. The whole time I was at Emmaus I was looking for apartments and there was nothing.”