High School sweethearts, Rosa and David, reconnected a handful of years ago via Facebook. Though fraught with more than their fair share of loss and challenge, their journey together exemplifies commitment and sheer perseverance.
Rosa was a lifelong body builder. She worked in restaurants and as a crossing guard, but in 2020 Muscular Dystrophy stole her mobility, and she became a wheelchair user. She lived with her brother, who also had Muscular Dystrophy, and her mother.
After his service in the Marines, David worked construction, but a back injury ended his career. As their relationship grew, David moved in with Rosa and helped care for her and her brother. When Rosa’s brother passed away, her mother moved in with another of her children in the Midwest. The collapse of their living arrangement led to a harrowing two years of homelessness, most of it on the streets.
While homeless, Rosa and David regularly attended our Meal Program. “We came for meals, groceries, and a sense of community.” They also worked with our Empowerment Coaches to rebuild their lives and find their way back to stable housing. It was a complicated process…
They applied to countless housing programs with the help of our Coaches – none of them came through. Determined to stay together, they persevered, continuing to work with our Coaches while we continued providing life-saving services – meals, groceries, personal care supplies, seasonal clothing, and transportation to warming centers on dangerously cold nights. Our coaches also helped Rosa gain SSI benefits and connected her to healthcare so she could receive a needed pacemaker.
After living homeless for more than two years, their perseverance paid off. Volunteers of America, one of our service partners, secured veteran housing for David. He never considered himself a veteran because he hadn’t served active duty. Through conversation with our Empowerment Coaches, David came to understand his veteran status and his eligibility for veteran benefits.
While David’s housing was secure, Rosa’s wasn’t. The housing benefit only extends to Rosa if she and David are married – so, a marriage proposal ensued! First, they needed to apply for a marriage license, so they both needed identification, including a copy of their birth certificate. Identification documents are a perennial challenge for those who are unhoused – these critical documents are often lost or stolen and securing them is a complicated process that includes administrative fees. Our coaches helped them apply, and CK paid for the fees and transportation to the Board of Social Services. Once their documents were in order, they applied for their marriage license.
On April 24th, our partner, Free Books Project, hosted a lovely ceremony and reception at their Quaker Meeting House in Camden. Several of CK’s meal guests, staff, and volunteers attended the ceremony, including two of David and Rosa’s friends from our Meal Program who served as their Maid of Honor and Best Man! Amanda Thompson, our Dining Room Coordinator attended and said, “It was such a beautiful ceremony, to see all that David and Rosa have been through together and their love is what helped them through the challenging times. There wasn’t a dry eye at the ceremony.”
Today, Rosa and David are securely housed in a Camden apartment. The entire CK community – staff and volunteers, helped furnish the apartment and gifted them household supplies. David continues to come to CK for services, groceries, and personal care. He is currently applying to become a certified Home Health Aide so he can be designated as Rosa’s permanent aide.
We’re so proud of Rosa and David’s hard work and wish them a happily ever after future.
