[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 104 (Thursday, June 21, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4340-S4341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           AFFORDABLE HOUSING

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I ask that the following statement 
from Mona Wadsworth, a Florida constituent, be printed in the Record.
  The material follows:
  Until my memory begins to fail me there will be one date that will 
remain one of the most significant to me.
  That is not to say that there are not other dates in my life that are 
important; birthdays, weddings, graduations, holidays, the usual dates 
we all mark on the calendar.
  Then there are those dates that hold great value to us because on 
those days something happened to alter our lives in some way.
  For me there is one that stands out among all others. December 15, 
2017. That is the day God sent an angel into my life and that angel is 
here in this room.
  Before I identify that angel I want to tell you a story about a 
woman.
  There was nothing exceptional about this woman. She was much like 
most of us. She played as a child, drove her parents crazy as a teen, 
became a young adult, fell in love, married, raised a family, worked 
and was basically the average everyday woman in her community.
  She had always wanted to own a house of her own but no matter how she 
tried life's ups and downs always dipped into her savings and that 
dream never came to pass.
  She may not have owned any of dwellings she and her family lived in, 
but she took pride in her home. It was always well furnished, clean and 
had many of the comforts of the day.
  In the hustle and bustle of everyday life we tend to take for granted 
all the things that give us joy and comfort. She was no different. She 
never

[[Page S4341]]

thought about how nice it felt to sleep in a comfortable bed or how 
nice that warm shower felt. I could go on and on and on, mentioning 
everything that made her life comfortable but I think you all have the 
general idea.
  Age creeps up on us subtly. It may begin with your eyes not seeing as 
clearly as they used to or you don't seem to hear as well. One day you 
might get up off the floor and find that it took a little longer this 
time. You start to feel aches and pains you didn't before.
  Fighting off a cold is harder this time. Trips to the doctor become 
more frequent. When once you were a mother or a father you're now gram 
or gramps. No matter how you've tried to deny it, one day you look in 
the mirror and wonder who this old person is looking back at you.
  And so it was for this woman. Now in her 60's, her children grown, 
she still counted herself pretty lucky. Except for the glasses she put 
on each morning, the need to take blood pressure medication and 
insulin, she was doing pretty good health wise. She still made holiday 
meals, still cleaned her home with the same determination, she 
basically was living her life as much as she always had.
  Then one day something happened in this woman's life that would 
forever-more change it.
  In September 2017 Hurricane Irma slammed into Florida. Irma was not a 
lady. She left a great deal of damage in her wake and devastated many 
lives. Irma rendered the house this woman lived in uninhabitable, 
starting a domino effect in this woman's life that would eventually 
render her homeless.
  She went to every agency she was aware of only to find out she either 
didn't qualify for assistance or there simply wasn't the housing or the 
funds available to help her out of a situation she had no control over.
  On October 23rd, this woman now in her 60's took what clothes she 
managed to save, the necessary toiletries she needed, a few towels, a 
frying pan, a sauce pan and a coffee pot. With the little money she had 
left until her next meager Social Security benefit payment came in, she 
bought some food, a cooler, ice, paper plates, cups and plastic spoons, 
forks, and knives. Her last purchase was a small tent.
  That night and for the next 12 weeks her bed was the floor of a tent, 
her covers were a thin blanket. She fell asleep that night to the sound 
of rain pelting the tent. She cried herself to sleep.
  As time moved on she bought an air mattress, sheets, a heavier 
blanket, a small grill, little things that would make her life a little 
easier to bear.
  She'd crawl in and out of the tent several times a day. She used 
public facilities to shower, brush her teeth, and comb her hair. She 
carried a bucket of warm water from the shower house to her campsite so 
that she could wash the few pans she'd used to cook in.
  In November, many people from the North come down to Florida and many 
come in RV's. This woman now found herself moving her campsite from one 
place to another every 3 or 4 days to accommodate these people who had 
reserved these campsites.
  When the temperature in Florida gets into the upper 70's, the inside 
of a tent feels like an oven. When the evening temperature falls into 
the lower 50's or 40's it feels like a freezer.
  Unable to take her insulin because she couldn't keep it properly 
cooled or take her blood pressure medication because the heat melted 
it, her health was deteriorating with each passing day.
  In the later part of December, weak, sick, questioning her faith in 
God and wondering if she wanted her life to go on, she walked through 
the doors of a hospital's emergency room.
  If you haven't guessed already I'll tell you now. This woman was me.
  But this story is a story of triumph over tragedy and this is where 
my angel comes in. As I said, my angel is here in this room and her 
name is Lynn.
  I'm going to embarrass her now because Lynn doesn't really think she 
did that much. But I say, if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I'd be 
standing here today.
  Upon hearing about my situation from a hospital social worker, Lynn 
set up an appointment for me the next day. It was December 15th. I'll 
never forget Lynn looking at me from across her desk and saying she 
wouldn't have a merry Christmas unless she knew I was settled into 
Trinity Towers before Christmas.
  There was still a problem however: Rent. I didn't have the money to 
pay until the 3rd of January. That didn't deter Lynn. She got on the 
phone and talked to those in charge. They came through for her. I have 
Beth and Marlene to thank for that.
  Lynn had a merry Christmas because on December 20th I was handed the 
keys to apartment 427.
  Yes, Lynn is my angel. She went that extra mile to help me and in 
doing so she renewed my faith in humanity and more than that, she 
renewed my faith in God.
  Jesus once said the poor will always be among us and we should help 
them. Lynn lives those words.
  This life experience has changed my life for the better. I don't 
sweat the small stuff anymore. I don't judge the homeless because I 
know how easy it is to be there. I don't take for granted God's 
blessings and I start every day thanking God for the roof over my head, 
a warm bed to sleep in and the food in my belly.
  In closing, I want to thank all the residents of Trinity Towers South 
for the graciousness in which you welcomed me into your community and 
thank each and every one of you who saw a person down on their luck and 
came to my door one by one and gave me things I so badly needed.
  I didn't tell this story because I wanted a pity party. I told it in 
hopes that people will understand how important affordable housing is.
  I ask our government officials, you whom we've entrusted the job of 
representing us, those who make the difficult decisions on our behalf 
to fight the good fight and make sure that programs set up to help the 
less fortunate, especially food and housing programs, do not fall by 
the wayside. Do not forget the poor, the disabled, the sick or the 
elderly.
  If I could have one wish granted in my life, it would be this. That 
every man, woman and child would forever have, without question, the 
basic needs of life, a roof over their head, a warm bed to sleep in and 
food to fill their stomachs.
  Thank you for listening to my story.

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