Suzanne was living in the riverbed with her cat Cali for two years. Cali was Suzanne’s support system and they were never more than a few feet apart. With the city’s rising concern about potential fires in the riverbed due to the worsening drought, Suzanne had no other option but to leave. She had been working with one of ECHO’s Case Managers. Together, they explored a number of options and believed that the permanent housing at Paso Homekey was the best option for Suzanne. She and Cali moved in May 2021. Now that they are happily housed, Cali has more than enough toys to keep her busy while staying cool inside their air conditioned home!

Kevin, who was homeless for nine years first connected with ECHO through the Atascadero Emergency Winter Shelter. After spending a few nights there, he began to trust the staff and expressed interest in taking the steps to move toward permanent housing. With the help of the overnight staff, Kevin connected to a case manager and applied to the 90-day program. Once he moved in, he began closely following his case plan that was created with his case manager.  After a couple of months, he found a place of his own that has room for his grandkids to visit him.

Joseph and Carol fell on hard times and had lost their housing. Upon moving into ECHO Paso Robles, Carol got a job at a local hotel, where several other clients also found employment. While it took Joseph a little longer to find employment, he eventually got a supervisor position at a popular local business and quickly earned a raise for his hard work. They continue in ECHO’s 90-Day program and have recently qualified for a section 8 voucher. They also recently purchased a reliable car to help them get to their jobs.

​Reba had been homeless for 10 years. Her COPD was serious and had been getting worse in the months before she came to ECHO. While working closely with the ECHO staff to manager her health, she was able to secure an Emergency Housing Voucher Through HASLO, and a security deposit through Five-Cities Homeless Coalition to get her into her own one bedroom apartment. Since moving in she has continued to maintain her health and enjoys feeding the birds that visit her outside of her new home

​Walter had lived in the riverbed for 12 years when ECHO’s Outreach team met him. He suffered from COPD and had no way to treat his illness without a place to plug in an oxygen machine. After engaging with case management Walter was able to find permanent supportive housing, and he now is able to focus on his health and happiness.

​Mary lost her housing during a divorce. 10 years later, she was still unhoused and not feeling hopeful about her options. Permanent housing did not seem like a reality. After using our Emergency Winter Shelter, Mary started working with an Outreach Case Manager. Now she has her own place in Morro Bay and she is incredibly happy to have a place to call her own. “I didn’t think things were going to get better, but now I have a safe place of my own after all this time.”

​Paulie found a community at ECHO. He had been lonely living on the street and had little hope. His challenged were compounded by substance abuse and a mental health diagnosis. By working with an ECHO case manager, Paulie was able to get into the 90 day program in Atascadero and stabilize his mental health, as well as become sober during his stay at ECHO. Now he has a place of his own. To stay positive, he focuses on how he can help others. He still comes back to ECHO to volunteer and other times, just to say “hi.”