Hurdles Just Mount for Homeless Couple
Fighting Serious Illnesses from a Rundown RV Is Daunting
Heather Sheppard and Marcus Leggo don’t know what up looks like anymore, can hardly imagine it even. They’ve been battling multiple serious illnesses, poverty, and homelessness for two years from a recreational vehicle held together by bungee cords and grace.
When I wrote about them in April, Sheppard was in acute liver failure with complications of lupus accelerating the process and making it harder to treat. Living on her Social Security Disability Insurance check, the two were in the Safe Parking program, hoping for a housing voucher so they could move someplace that had a foundation.
With a letter from Sheppard’s doctor confirming her illness was terminal, the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara placed them on an expedited list. In May, they were granted a Section 8 housing voucher. It was the best news they’d had in more than a year. With Leggo helping her get to all her various medical appointments at UCLA and at the county Public Health Clinic, the two seemed to be in line for housing and a liver transplant for Sheppard. Things were falling into place. To read more, see homelessinsb.org.
