Annie Chalada Williams

Annie has endured unbearable loss. A mother of 12, she had given birth to two sets of triplets and two sets of twins. In 1992, after losing six of her children to a civil war, she was forced to flee her home country Liberia. “Annie has an amazing spirit. She possesses a gratitude for life and an unfailing faith that she and her children will be ok no matter what,” Village Staff Janny Castillo said.

In 1998, Annie broke her foot on a stairway in the San Leandro apartment she was renting. A deep depression, a $300 rent increase, and the loss of her retail job caused her slide into homelessness. She moved into the Harrison House Families Program in December 2005 and from there to Sankofa Transitional House. Annie’s broken foot took a long time to heal; she often felt isolated from other shelter women because of a language and culture barrier. “I spent days depressed and isolated because no one understood me. When I felt really bad, I would visit with my BOSS counselor and she would lift me up,” Annie said. She worked hard to put her life back on track, and submitted many subsidized housing applications during her 2 year stay at Sankofa.

Earlier this year, City Towers in Oakland accepted Annie as a tenant. She is very happy that she now has a place for her children. She is also very excited about attending school. “I have street smarts, now I am getting book smarts,” she said. Her English has improved dramatically and so has her self-confidence. She is working on her GED and would like to go to college and become a Mental Health Social Worker. Annie also wants to send for two adult children who are still in Liberia. Annie herself is part of a set of triplets, she has a sister she has not seen in many years and a brother who went missing after the war. To others who are suffering, she said, “Be encouraged, do not forget your Creator, believe that you can make it, and you will.”

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