Heroes of The Homeless Crisis: How Kay Wilson-Bolton of Two Associations of Realtors is Helping To Support Some Of The Most Vulnerable People In Our Communities

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Hope is what everyone needs no matter the economic situation you’re in. While we decided early on, we can’t solve the world’s problems, we could make a dent and make a difference in our community. We first began with a meal program and pantries — promoting it through Facebook. Initially, the community was against the idea, but now they are kinder and support our shelter and meal programs.

As a part of my series about “Heroes Of The Homeless Crisis” I had the pleasure of interviewing REALTOR® Kay Wilson-Bolton.

Kay Wilson-Bolton has been a full-time Realtor® since 1976. She has served her community as mayor and president of two Associations of Realtors. Kay has been twice named as Realtor® of the Year and as a NAR Good Neighbor. She also serves as the Volunteer Director of SPIRIT of Santa Paula, working to end homeless in her community.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know you’ a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your personal background, and how you grew up?

Thank you for letting me share my story. I was born and raised on a farm in New Hampshire where I learned early on from my five siblings and mother that you always help those in need. It can be foster kids or a “hobo” as we called them then, who stopped by our home, and my mother would always have an extra plate ready when dinner time would arrive. No questions asked, she always cared for them.

Those experiences stayed with me.

In my adult life, after I became the Fire Department chaplain, I was informed a homeless man died in one of our churches on Christmas eve, and a janitor at the church had been letting people in during winter nights. I wasn’t aware we had homeless people in our town of 30,000-people. My upbringing kicked in and I felt a calling to take action. I started with a hot meal and a passion to end homelessness. It’s been a journey, for sure.

Is there a particular story or incident that inspired you to get involved in your work helping people who are homeless?

It really started with that incident at the church on Christmas Eve 2008 but was solidified with the struggles and tribulations of the 2008 troubled economy. We saw an emerging class of homeless individuals that struggled with rehabilitation. The country viewed them as “no good or useless” — someone else’s problem. I made it my mission to help.

Homelessness has been a problem for a long time in the United States. But it seems that it has gotten a lot worse over the past five years, particularly in the large cities, such as Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco. Can you explain to our readers what brought us to this place? Where did this crisis come from?

As a REALTOR® I can pinpoint it to lack of housing and a loss of hope. We have to start by looking at the cost of not only the housing market but renting too. People in the margins don’t have a safety net if they incur a big expense and rent is very expensive, at all levels. You need an income of about $7K-$8K a month to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Southern California. Anyone with a pet is especially challenged.

As rent moratorium becomes a more popular discussion, we face a housing disaster in all of our cities. We will have more people moving into their cars than we already do, and freeways will be further lined with tent cities.

For the benefit of our readers, can you describe the typical progression of how one starts as a healthy young person with a place to live, a job, an education, a family support system, a social support system, a community support system, to an individual who is sleeping on the ground at night? How does that progression occur?

It starts with one bad decision somewhere in childhood that transitions into an adult not willing, capable, or understanding the benefits of making multiple good decisions. It begins with something small — a little kid who doesn’t want to do homework and doesn’t have a parent to show why it’s a good habit. That turns into a teenager who moves in with friends, works part-time and then spirals into a mess — evicted, losing jobs because of personal behaviors and self-medicating. We’ve had shelters with three generations of homeless people — grandmothers and grandkids. How does that happen? Are we teaching our youngsters they can be homeless and be OK?

Without “housing first” as a global priority in every jurisdiction, more and more individuals will choose to sleep on the ground after being evicted versus moving in friends and working a job to get back on a healthy progression track. It’s a hard cycle to break, but that’s why SPIRIT of Santa Paula is here to help.

A question that many people who are not familiar with the intricacies of this problem ask is, “Why don’t homeless people just move to a city that has cheaper housing?” How do you answer this question?

First of all, there isn’t a city on the planet that welcomes people who need cheap housing. Secondly, most people want to stay close to family who can help provide resources. However, when family or friends are gone, how can anyone really afford to move? Whether they’ve been evicted in the past, their credit score is zero to un-rentable and money is scarce for deposits. With no job to go to in the new city, how are they supposed to move? Instead of moving, we need to focus first on providing housing and keeping those in need housed to prevent homelessness.

If someone passes a homeless person on the street, what is the best way to help them?

Just say “hello”. While a homeless person asks for money for food, or just money, there’s a good chance they may use the cash to feed their alcohol or drug addiction. A food or gift card to a fast-food restaurant is the best way to help them in the moment. If they are in the area where I serve, tell them to call me or give them directions so I can provide them with help they need.

What is the best way to respond if a homeless person asks for money for rent or gas?

Be direct — you cannot throw money at the problem and really help. Work with heart and soul if you want to make a difference in their life and speak a kind word. If someone is asking for gas — ask where their car is? Better yet, say “follow me and I’ll put gas in your car.” For rental assistance, contact my office, we have a rent subsidy program through United Way. There are other similar programs in other states that can try to help, too.

Can you describe to our readers how your work is making an impact battling this crisis?

Hope is what everyone needs no matter the economic situation you’re in. While we decided early on, we can’t solve the world’s problems, we could make a dent and make a difference in our community. We first began with a meal program and pantries — promoting it through Facebook. Initially, the community was against the idea, but now they are kinder and support our shelter and meal programs.

Most families do the best they can to help a homeless family member, but often times they are burned by the ones they are trying to help. Valuables are stolen, cars are crashed, and they reach a breaking point. We have a number of case managers providing insight, encouragement, and resources for families. We encourage them to continue to reach out and we will do what we can for their loved ones.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the homeless crisis, and the homeless community? Also how has it affected your ability to help people?

From our vantage point, COVID barely impacted the homeless community, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t taking precautions. In a homeless shelter, distancing is difficult, as is keeping people happy and motivated. Hopefully the tough days are behind us, from the beginning we have provided masks and sanitizers, now we are continuing to test every week in the shelter.

Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?

When I first began, the police and I did not see eye to eye, they believed I was enabling those I was helping to stay homeless. What they failed to see then was by feeding them, there was a reduction in stealing and panhandling residents. Part of the disconnect came from leadership in the city manager’s office who worried about only a portion of this community. We’ve grown into a very mutually beneficial relationship.

In 2018, they referred a young couple to me who became a great success story.

This young couple was homeless after renting a room and paying a tenant who was not paying a landlord. One night, they were told they had to be out by 6 am the next day because the sheriff was evicting them.

The young couple was forced to rig up a stroller in the back of their bikes and ride around town every night with their five-year-old warm and asleep in the trailer. The police told them they had to stop doing that and took their child away to a foster home under the care of child protective services. The officer told them to come see me and I shared hope and counseled them. Fast forward to 2021–4 years later — both have jobs, a car — and most importantly, have their child back. This was the result of a police officer who trusted me and our work.

Can you share three things that the community and society can do to help you address the root of this crisis? Can you give some examples?

Before anything, we need to stop criticizing people who want to do this work. In reality, we have a common goal of bettering our community as well as the people who call it home. From there we need to change the way we think about housing by supporting unique programs such as accessory dwelling units.

Cities need to show initiative and allow housing near points of transportation.

Lastly, for those who don’t want to engage or are unable to do the work, donations go a long way to keep us in business ultimately helping those who are able to put in the hours and make the commitment.

If you had the power to influence legislation, which three laws would you like to see introduced that might help you in your work?

The first law would enforce rent regulation policies. We need to sit people down and talk about a proper structure, so landlords and tenants are protected. This isn’t a new idea but it is always controversial, especially when it comes to property rights. We support rent control in mobile home parks to protect tenants with a vested interest, perhaps we can engage tenants in rental units the same way. If things aren’t working now, we have to change.

The next legislation would make it easier for homeless shelters to be established. There are too many zoning restrictions that prevent them from being constructed. Industrial centers may be better than the center of town for shelters, however they are not near services. Businesses don’t want groups of homeless people near them either.

Lastly, we should create more opportunities for healthcare among mentally ill and those who need rehab. Far too many times do people walk into a facility only to be turned away by a lack of available beds. A major issue is the cost, a person may have to go to the emergency room a handful of times throughout a year and those bills begin to stack up. By providing additional primary-care physicians, we may have a better understanding of the cause of mental health challenges that result from homelessness or is caused by it.

I know that this is not easy work. What keeps you going?

This was my calling in life. There was a reason I was on that call in 2008 when someone died in our church. God prepared me as a kid, watching my mother being kind. If there was no success — would I still do this? Yes, because success comes in different packages. You have to look for it, sometimes it’s hard to measure.

Do you have hope that one day this great social challenge can be solved completely?

Yes I do. Our goal is to prevent and end homelessness in Santa Paula. Every community needs to decide what’s possible for them to accomplish and go out and do it. Every community needs a group of people with the same goal, same heart, and the same determination. I believe we can solve this problem but there is equal value in making someone’s life easier and better even if just for a day.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. You can’t save everyone. Not everyone wants to be saved.
2. Your heart will be broken every day, but it doesn’t mean you’re not making a difference.
3. You have to be consistent. When I say “no” — I mean no and here’s why. People with addictions are clever and manipulative. They have to be in order to survive.
4. I wish I had known more about addiction when I started this. There is no one immune to the struggle, addiction does not know race, color, gender, my own daughter died of a prescription drug overdose. These experiences have not only shaped me but help me relate to those I am trying to help. In fact, twenty years ago, I decided to stop drinking wine to lead by example, so I could look people in the eye facing addiction and let them know that it is possible to do.
5. These problems didn’t develop overnight. While we can make progress every day, this will not be solved in one day.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

The movement would be towards viewing housing differently. Not everyone needs or wants a three bedroom home with a fireplace. We have to look at providing safe shelter for everyone. We can popularize “minimal living” by helping people think about it.

One person can make a difference, but eventually you need others to invest in the work. Not everyone can be a spark, but everyone can be a log on the fire.

The first days can be scary, but it’s simpler than you think. When we began in 2009, I emailed a dozen people asking if they could cook an extra dish for us to distribute, after 10 people said yes, I knew we had something special. People will support a brave idea. Most people are kind, but not everyone knows how to relate to people on the street. If I had to start over again, I would incorporate a kindness dimension. While not everyone can reach out to a homeless person, everyone can be kind.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Give somebody a chance to do something great and they will. I have watched so many people blossom because someone said — “come with me”. Everyone wants to be included and be a responsible person, but they may not be equipped with those tools yet. With mentoring, they can be guided to do some pretty extraordinary things.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Mother Theresa — if living — what an inspiring person she was.

Father Greg Boyle. He serves in south LA and is the executive director of the world’s largest gang intervention program in the world, Homeboy Industries. He talks about kinship, which inspires me to build that into programs that put people to work. We were designed to work. When we don’t, we flounder.

How can our readers follow you online?

Facebook — Spirit of Santa Paula or SpiritofSantaPaula.org.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much!