YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Homelessness is an ongoing problem that affects more than 15,000 people across Pennsylvania, many of whom you'd least expect.
“I never dreamed people go through this until it happened to me," said Deborah McAndrews, a 60-year-old woman who, less than one year ago, had a home.
Late in 2022, McAndrews’ apartment along the 1000 block of West Market Street in York had plumbing problems that covered the property with waste and brought an infestation of rodents and cockroaches.
"It was inhabitable. I had to get out," she recalled.
It was an issue she says her landlord refused to address.
“Feces covered the bottom of the garage floor. This didn’t happen once; it happened four times and then I started getting roaches and rodents. I couldn’t keep food in my home, I had to keep it in the back of my car," she said.
It was a problem that sent Deborah, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to the hospital four times.
She was forced to look for a new home, leaving her without a roof over her head. With nowhere to go, McAndrews eventually turned to Lifepath Christian Ministries.
“When I walked through the doors of the shelter, I was broken," she told FOX43. "I mean, I’ve worked hard all my life. I never dreamed it would resort to that.”
Isharmma Cohen was Deborah’s case worker at Lifepath Christian Ministries and says it’s something that happens far too often.
"She’s a very personable individual. She’s very sweet, kind and giving. When you look at Deb, it wouldn’t be an individual you would picture in homeless services. [You think] 'How does [this happen to ]a sweet grandmother who's working, who has income?'" Cohn explained. "But with my experience in the field, I started in ’08, I realized it can happen to anybody."
After a potential apartment prospect finally came through, hope was sinking in for Deborah.
But the deal fell through, her stay at the shelter expired and she was forced to stay at a hotel for three weeks.
When money ran out, Deborah resorted to living in her car.
“I couldn’t take the cold. My whole body shook because it’s no place for a young woman to be, not that I’m young anymore, but anywhere to be.”
With the help of family who heard about her situation, Deborah now lives with her sister in Quakertown and has another potential apartment lined up.
Once she finds a new home, she hopes to use her experience to help others.
“God brought me through it. There is a reason I went through it, and again, I feel it in my gut," she told FOX43. "I feel He's got something more for me to do. How can you do something for somebody if you haven’t experienced it for yourself and know where these people are coming from?”
She hopes her story can also change the view people have of homelessness.
“Keep an open mind to what people go through and what they’re enduring; the challenges, being on the street. It’s sad," she continued. It’s really sad and I never dreamed I [would] see what I saw or experience what I’ve experienced."
“When you think about their story [and] get to sit face-to-face with that individual and hear [it], you will get to find out more about how did this happen [and] what can we do to help. You will have a better understanding of where this person is coming from," said Cohen.
Deborah gave a final message for those facing what she went through:
“Keep pushing forward. As hard as it is, keep pushing forward. Blessings will come through. I think with every suffering, there are blessings in the end. Just don’t give up, Keep pushing. It did age me, but that’s okay. I am warm at night, and I am alive.”