Jackie Nichols recounts her personal journey from losing a 13‑year job at CMS in 2012, becoming homeless with her children Zion, Kashari, and Leonardo, and navigating the challenges of multiple mental‑health diagnoses (bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder) and repeated hospitalizations for Zion while living in a shelter. She describes the emotional toll of losing possessions, the resilience of her children, and the pivotal moment on March 20th when her family moved into supportive housing, receiving furniture and a safe space. The narrative highlights the profound relief, renewed stability, and gratitude she feels now that she can lock a door, shower, cook, and sleep in her own bed, emphasizing how supportive housing restored her sense of life and love for her family.
Chapters
S-K-H-O-C. A lot of things I didn't worry about when I was homeless. My focus was really just being safe, finding somewhere to sleep. Now that I have housing, I'm trying to get everything that I overlooked Back in check. I lost my job in 2012 from CMS after 13 years. We became homeless, so Zion, Kashari, and I turned to the shelter. Zion was diagnosed at 3 with several different things— bipolar, ADHD, ASD, autism spectrum disorder. But Zion also has manic behaviors with it, so he doesn't like a lot of crowds. Leonardo! A lot of things he doesn't like. All right, thank you, baby. Zion was hospitalized 4 times when we was homeless. So at one point, both of my children was in the hospital. And I was just— I didn't know what I was gonna do at that point. Most proud of my children, that they lost everything that they had. My daughter was a dancer. She lost all her trophies, her plaques, her clothes. But they have not complained. They've just been grateful through it all. It taught me a lesson in life, um, that you fall down, but it's what you do when you get back up. It can happen to anybody. We moved in on March 20th, and I just remember me and Zion walking down the street from the bus stop, and as we was walking, Zion kept saying, there's people in our yard, there's people in our yard. And I was like, no, it's not. When we got here, there really was people in our yard and they was just bringing us all this furniture and everything, and I just kind of broke out crying and I was like, oh my gosh, look at God. It's a place to call home, you know. I haven't smiled like this in so long, you know, just Locking the door, taking a shower, cooking, your own bed. My kids are happy. We smile all the time. So it's just— they've just been a godsend, and I love them so much. People just don't know. They're life. They gave me life again.
