Then she saw her new bedroom and immediately flopped down on the mattress. A broad smile overtook Carla’s face when she saw the boxes of cutlery and plates on the table. “We are just stoked, so thrilled,” she said.Įventually, the property manager took them to their third-floor unit for a quick inspection before they signed the lease. At one point, she asked if they could move in that day.

She asked her husband if he needed his oxygen machine and kept an eye on their dog Oreo, who sat between her legs. If she can raise more money, she’ll open more lots around the city.Īs the couple waited in the new building, Carla could barely contain her excitement, fidgeting and planning what needed to get done. There are only 12 spots on the VA campus, but Cohen expects that number to jump to 50 soon. “Most of our veterans are older in the lot, and they are really amazing, considering the hardship they go through,” she said. Cohen, whose organization allows homeless people to sleep in their vehicles without worrying about being arrested, says she sees people like the McCues all the time. Pat Cohen, founder of Safe Parking L.A., has been helping the McCues keep track of the goodwill coming their way. The McCues hope to refurbish the Jeep and donate it to another veteran. They drove two cars to the new apartment - their beat-up Jeep and a 2004 blue Ford Expedition gifted to them by a fellow veteran who read their story. Lawrence purchased new white-leather Stacy Adams shoes for the occasion, and Carla bought new earrings.

Days after the story was published, Antoinette Monts, a case manager from the People Concern, a social services agency, received a call from her boss who had a simple message: Let’s help the McCues get a home.

The Los Angeles Times recently detailed the McCues’ story of hardship, and the response was swift. With the help of a caseworker, they began the process to receive housing and waited for months, only to learn that their application for the apartment had been rejected. It all culminated this year, when Carla retired from her job and the couple moved from the neighborhood near Los Angeles International Airport that was close to her job to the parking lot of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ West Los Angeles campus. Their story, like so many other homeless veterans and homeless senior citizens, was one of financial deprivation, health struggles and the inability to find a stable and sustainable living arrangement. They arrived early, eagerly awaiting something that had eluded them for years: keys to a home of their own.Ĭarla McCue and her husband, Lawrence - a 75-year-old Marine Corps veteran - lived for years first in a motor home and then in their beat-up Jeep Grand Cherokee.

How to level up oblivion