Meet Trixie

“It took a lot of humility to even go to a shelter.”

For Trixie, her four-month experience with homelessness began after leaving the military sector. While she worked with the VA to secure housing at a shelter that specializes in female veterans, they were unprepared for her when she arrived. She slept in other people’s cars and couches until they could admit her.

“It was an environment I dreaded coming back to, but I knew a bed was there.”

While Trixie paid rent to stay in this shelter, she still had to operate under its strict demerit system. Shelter rules and culture also made it difficult for Trixie to take a job that she was hired for—a common issue that many unhoused individuals experience, usually due to curfews. Now, Trixie has a steady job and secure housing, but she still encourages people to understand the realities of homelessness.

“Attach yourself to that feeling of being lost, where things don’t make sense. Feel that, amplify it, and then take your roof off your head—that’s what homelessness is.”

Trixie still supports the Barbara Giordano Foundation and Warrior Writers. She loves finding a little bit of joy in everything, whether it’s piano (which she is classically trained in) or her perfect daughter, Kiku.