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Redwood City — Elizabeth Perez spent years outrunning the hard math of San Mateo County’s housing market. The Redwood City native watched her rent climb faster than the income she earned pet sitting, until even a studio slipped out of reach.
“Out of nowhere everything just went up, from $1,400 to $2,000,” she said. “I didn’t know where to go, where to start, to get back on track. It was hard. Life was hard.” Her pickup truck became home.
She entered a temporary shelter after learning she was pregnant. Then a case worker told her a room might be available in a former hotel that offered on-site support. Perez didn’t expect much – experience taught her not to get her hopes up – but the address was near where she grew up, something familiar when she needed it.
Her application was accepted, and she now pays a third of her monthly income for a room with a small kitchen she shares with her young daughter at Casa Esperanza, or Hope House. She works a few blocks away at an auto parts store and is saving money for the first time in years.
 Elizabeth Perez and her daughter, Makayla, share a moment inside their room at Casa Esperanza, the permanent supportive housing site that gave them a stable home after years of uncertainty.
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