A cactus rests by the windowsill, perched above eight large plastic bins packed with most of Karen McDonald s belongings.
The plant, McDonald said, brings her peace as she moves through a revolving door of homes. It s a symbol of survival in the transient and often unforgiving world of navigating homelessness in the Philadelphia suburbs.
In February, hope for a more permanent home came in a Housing Choice Voucher, what many consider the holy grail of subsidized housing. McDonald felt her days drifting through shelters, friends’ homes and cars would soon come to an end.
Yet, like many holding the same document, she soon learned that the federal safety net created to rescue people from homelessness and serve as a springboard to independent living holds little value in a competitive housing market, where landlords are not required to accept vouchers and, when they do, bureaucracy often stalls or derails their chances.