The right supports at home
A reflection by Maplewood City Council member Nikki Villavicencio
Nikki Villavicencio is a Maplewood City Council member, as well as an advocate for those experiencing housing instability, and an advocate for those with disabilities. Through her lived experience, Nikki knows how transformative project-based vouchers are for people looking for stability in communities they love.
At Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative our Unlock the Metro campaign seeks to ensure that project-based vouchers, which are essential tools to create deeply affordable housing with onsite services, are more readily available to meet the needs of our growing housing crisis.
Hear from Nikki on how access to housing with a project-based voucher changed her life.
My name is Nikki, and I live in Maplewood, Minnesota. I am a disabled Filipinx and my pronouns are she/her/sha. I am 38 years old, and I live with my partner Darrell and our daughter Alley. It is empowering to now live with my family in the city I’ve chosen to live in; the city I want to be in. But it has been a long journey to get here.
I not only get to live where and with who I want, but I also have the privilege to serve my community!
Growing up in a rural community, my examples with how people with disabilities can live were limited. Most adults with disabilities that were thriving were living in the cities. In some situations, a smaller size of community can be very beneficial to people with disabilities. There are usually far more feelings of stability for individuals with organic supports. When I was 24, I went from living in a city of 10,000 to the city of Saint Paul.
In my early twenties, my main housing goals were to live as closely mirrored to my peers as possible, and to live near public transit. As I looked around for my first apartment, I found it much harder than I thought. I put my name on lists, made lots of phone calls, and took tours of apartments. Finally, while doing some online research, I had a breakthrough.
I found out that as a disabled individual, I qualified for project-based vouchers that focused on senior citizens. After about a year of searching, I finally progressed to the top of the waitlist at a senior building on the West Side of Saint Paul. It also happened to be a building that had a project-based voucher.
Being that I was a young disabled person, it may seem unusual to be living at a senior building for my first apartment. However, it turned out to be just what I needed. It was a safe and quiet environment, and I was close to public transit.
As for living in a space that mirrored how my peers at that age were living, I felt satisfied there too. I was able to come and go from the building as I pleased. Also, it was already fully accessible. My friends and family were able to come visit whenever I wanted them too as well.
Out of everything that apartment did to transform my life, the small item that meant the most to me was the key. The key I had to get in. It meant so much that I could come and go as I pleased independently. When you use your feet for almost all your daily activities like me, freedoms to be independent are hard to come by. Many people with disabilities do not have the ability to have their own keys to their home. This is just one of the many reasons why serving my community has been an integral part of my life.
Having a home that meets your needs is imperative to stabilizing marginalized people. Consequently, that is only part of the often complex situation. Once I was in my apartment and had my key, I was not thriving until I built my support system.
My door needed a push button lock system, my homecare workers came in daily, and my friends and family checked on me regularly. All things that seem fairly reasonable but are imperative to the success of me living in my community.
(Pictured: Nikki speaking at a Beacon event)
After moving around throughout the years, I’ve learned that home is where the heart is, but without appropriate supportive services home can be hell. When people with disabilities lose care, they usually risk the ability to live in the most integrated setting. This reality is scary and always in the back of our minds. This is why for over 10-years I’ve worked to advance and professionalize the homecare industry.
Struggles and solutions are always tied to each other and this is why we must urge the legislature to look at the housing crisis comprehensively.
My life now is centered around serving the people who usually have never had a voice in rooms of power. Because of my ability to stabilize my housing and my care, I grew to be a leader in my community —A City of Maplewood Council member and the Chair of the Minnesota Council on Disability.
At Beacon, we work across the housing continuum to meet the needs of those who face the greatest odds in their housing and stability. When individuals get into affordable housing with onsite services that meet their needs, they are able to thrive. This is why we’re working to advance the creation of homes across the metro, such as Aster Commons, Gladstone Crossing, and more. To get involved in this work to see that all people have a home, click here.
