Meet Charles

Charles moved into Casa Aliento in the fall of 2024. Before that, he was living in a Mercy House shelter, the same organization that eventually pointed him toward his permanent home.

Charles started at a One Stop center, looking for a place to stay. From there, he worked with a Navigator to build a housing plan and put together a packet for the county’s Continuum of Care—the coordinated system that connects people to permanent housing across Orange County. Partnering agencies reviewed his case together, and when a unit opened at Casa Aliento, he was matched.

Nearly two years in, Charles describes the move as a turning point rather than a landing place. It got him back on his feet, he says, and into a better position in his life. Having more support really helps.

Some of that support is practical. Charles takes part in the on-site food share, and he’s found unexpected joy in the arts and crafts programming, mostly because of who shows up. The community and residents who live at Casa Aliento are what he names as the best part of living there.

Having his own place changed who could be part of his daily life. His sister visits now, and so do his nephews. His neighbors are nice, and many are in a similar position to his own, which is what has made Casa Aliento feel like a community to him.

Ask Charles his favorite part of the apartment and he doesn’t name a feature. He names a feeling.

“The solitude, being alone and being able to say I have my own place. I’m very thankful for what I have.”

Without housing he could afford, he says he would probably still be on the street or in the shelter. Instead, he’s thinking about what comes next.