Every Key Opens More Than a Door

The Ursula Sherman Village (formerly and affectionately known as Harrison House) in West Berkeley is California's first shelter dedicated to homeless disabled adults. Named after the lifelong human rights activist and BOSS (Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency) founder, the facility offers beds for single adults and families, as well as a computer lab, a children's center, and housing navigation services. The shelter provides holistic care and transitional support to help individuals and families achieve permanent housing.

Over the past several months, Ursula Sherman Village has celebrated one housing success after another. Families are moving into apartments. Individuals are signing leases with their names on them. Children are leaving the emergency shelter with bedrooms of their own. Every set of keys represents something that once felt out of reach, becoming real.

For Victoria, arriving at BOSS meant finding emergency shelter and the hope that permanent housing was still possible.

"I was relieved to be in the shelter," she shared. "The Harrison House staff were amazing, especially Rochelle, who got me housed. Having my own place means the world to me. I'm looking forward to being at peace, secure, and safe."

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Her advice to others is simple.

"Work for what you want, and get everything the program has to offer."

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For Rashwan, the adjustment was anything but easy. Sharing a dorm with dozens of other men tested his patience. The first days were marked by conflict and uncertainty, but staff continued encouraging him to stay focused on the future.

"Ms. Rochelle was able to keep me motivated," he said. "Having my own place means everything to me. If you want better, do better. Work hard. It won't be easy, and there will be hard times. Stay patient and stay open-minded."

Ardy remembers something different. Peace.

"Having my own place means the world to me. Finally, peace."

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For someone who values quiet and order, living in a shelter with dozens of people was one of the hardest parts of experiencing homelessness. Today, he has a place to call his own and a fresh perspective for others still making the journey.

"Mind your business, stay positive, and work on yourself while you're there."

These stories have become familiar at Harrison House because they reflect what becomes possible when housing navigation is paired with persistence, trust, and relationships.

Behind many of those stories are Housing Navigators Rochelle Hamilton and Felicia, whose work has helped dozens of individuals and families move from emergency shelter into permanent housing. Their names come up often in resident interviews, because they continue showing up through every setback, application, and waiting list until a family finally receives the call they've been hoping for.

Sometimes the celebration is a smiling family standing in front of a new apartment.

Sometimes it's simply a photograph of keys resting in someone's hand because they would rather keep the rest of their story private. Both tell us the same thing. Home has a way of restoring dignity.

Across the country, affordable housing remains one of the greatest challenges facing families. In California, where housing costs continue to outpace wages, emergency shelter is often only one step in a much longer journey toward stability.

Permanent housing changes more than an address. It creates the conditions for children to succeed in school, adults to maintain employment, families to rebuild routines, and individuals to focus on their health instead of their next place to sleep.

That's why Harrison House has never measured success simply by the number of beds it fills.

It measures success by the number of homes it helps create. A community deciding that housing is worth investing in. We often say housing is the foundation. Harrison House reminds us why. Because once someone has a safe place to come home to, everything else becomes a little more possible. A place where people could reclaim their future, one key at a time.

When you invest in housing, you're investing in stability, dignity, and futures that are still unfolding.

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