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After years of living in temporary shelters,
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Vivian Nelson is smiling, optimistic, and as cheerful as the brightly colored clothing she loves to knit and crochet. Her sentences often start on one topic and end on another as she enthusiastically chats about her interests. Just about the only time her face clouds over is when she talks about her housing history—moving from apartment to apartment, and spending time in shelters and on the street. Under the strain of those memories, her words just trail off… For most of Vivian’s adult life, housing has been a problem. Unable to hold a job, she relies on disability payments to get by. Before coming to Plymouth, Vivian was in a transitional housing program in Seattle that provided dinner and overnight shelter but required that clients leave each morning and return in the evening. Vivian passed her days at a nearby day center for women or at the public library. She was nearing the end of her allotted time in transitional housing when her case manager connected Vivian with Plymouth. In April 2008, at the age of 62, Vivian got a chance to break her cycle of homelessness. She moved into a sunny third-floor studio apartment with private bath and kitchen, paying 30 percent of |
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Vivian Nelson and her cat Apollo enjoy living in her sunny apartment at Plymouth's Langdon and Anne Simons Senior Apartments. |
her income for rent. A bookcase in one corner is filled with her mystery novels, Harry Potter DVDs, and do-it-yourself crafts books for her many projects. And a handsome Himalayan cat, Apollo, provides company and entertainment. “I love it here,” Vivian says. “I have lived in buildings where I got to know only a few people. Here, I’ve really gotten to know my neighbors.” Sitting at her kitchen table, she describes social activities that include the building’s fun Thursday potlucks, building meetings, a knitting group, and weekly shopping trips for groceries. Now that she has a new kitchen—something that she missed—Vivian does her own cooking, planning to make a lasagna for a potluck event soon. “I’ll stay here at Plymouth as long as they’ll let me,” she says with a smile. |
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Read more.... Anthony Lindsay Betty Williamson Richard Leyda
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