Renee: “They Need to Heal”

Renee Ramcharitar knows.

She can expertly explain how life’s difficult moments can send one in unpredictable directions, forcing a person to face adversity with as much grace as possible. Life’s ups and downs may present challenges that seem impossible, enveloping people with challenging situations and painful outcomes.

Ramcharitar knows all about this because, years ago, she experienced a series of life-altering events. The impact of multiple crises greeting her one by one left her without a home, leading her to experience homelessness while raising her school-age child.

The good news?

She has endured moments such as these and has come out all right on the other side — safer and wiser.

Ramcharitar now uses her real-world experience to serve on Abode Services’ Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB). We recently formed LEAB to hear feedback and perspectives from those who have experienced homelessness, in order to improve the quality of our work.

“I want to end the stigma around being unhoused,” she said. “Society should not assume negative things about any person who doesn’t have a home. There are actually a lot of people deserving safe housing who end up sleeping on the street.”

And Ramcharitar knows that homelessness can happen to anyone.

At one time, she was married, attending college, and building a strong career. Suddenly, the bottom seemed to fall from under her. She faced a wave of adversity: Her grandmother died, she had surgery and other physical challenges, and then went through a divorce. Other health crises followed.

Through it all, while toughing it out on her own, Ramcharitar ended up sleeping in her car while healing from a mental health crisis

“At one point, I needed self-care because I felt exhausted, but instead, I just kept going, until I couldn’t,” she said. “I was teaching and raising my child, and I felt like I broke down a little bit at a time.”

It was not the first time Ramcharitar had experienced homelessness. “There’s been a cycle of homelessness in my family,” she said. “I intend to end this cycle through my diligent work and passion.”

Soon, she learned the value of reaching out for support and resources in the community; she did not have to figure out her life again, all on her own.

“I came from humble beginnings and built the American dream, but sometimes that’s not enough,” she said. “People still need support.”

She rose again over a period of five years and got back on her feet. Ramcharitar, who has held a teaching credential for more than two decades, now is also a certified peer specialist. Part of the job calls for her to educate pastors about mental health and healing.

“A lot of folks have challenges because they have been affected by trauma and could use tools to lift themselves up again,” she said. “They have had to deal with pain and injustice, and they need to heal.”

Ramcharitar said that while expensive Bay Area housing prices fuel homelessness, it’s important to remember that everyone has the right to have a home, no matter what their income is. 

“Why do some have so much, and others have nothing?” she asks. “No one should be unhoused, no matter what they’re going through. If one person suffers, we all suffer.”

She is excited to continue sharing this perspective with her fellow LEAB members, working to improve solutions for those experiencing homelessness.

“LEAB is about spreading compassion because everyone deserves housing,” she said. “No one person is more important than the other. I want to relay that message while serving on LEAB.”