The knock on Monica Colson's door was sharp and jarring, cutting through the quiet of an early December morning last year. When she opened it, two officers stood before her. They were there to inform her that she had been evicted from her rental apartment and needed to leave the premises immediately.
It was a final order to pack up and go.
"They said they sent a notice, but I didn't get it, nothing on my door," Colson recalled.
As the shock set in, she realized she had no time to argue. Her friend's son had been shot near the mailbox just weeks earlier, and she couldn't risk lingering in a place that already felt unsafe.
At 59, she never imagined homelessness would find its way into her life. She lived alone, although she had four adult children and 10 grandkids. But mounting bills coupled with an unexpected health scare created a domino effect, leaving her unable to make rent.
Colson, who had been on disability since 2020, had worked a series of part-time jobs over the years -- at Target and the Marlins ballpark -- before her health took a toll. Despite her efforts, the financial strain of rising expenses became insurmountable. The months that followed, she said, tested her resilience in ways she never expected.
Colson's battle to keep her apartment at Liberty City's Lincoln Field Apartments was a losing one -- not for lack of trying. She spent countless hours shuttling between the Joseph Caleb Center Court and community hearings, pleading her case against Lincoln Fields management for unsanitary conditions and negligence. Each week, she witnessed dozens of her neighbors face the same fate.
"They evicted at least 25 people a week," she recalled. "I'm just me, but there were people with kids, people trying to work things out. That was the hardest part -- trying to get them to understand I had nowhere else to go, that I was trying."
Despite qualifying for emergency rental assistance, Colson found her options limited. "The apartment complex said they didn't accept that program. I was fighting to hold on to something that needed to be condemned, but it was the only place I had to call mine," she said.
In May 2023, Lincoln Fields Apartments faced mounting controversy as residents rallied against what they said were illegal evictions and reported hazardous living conditions. The complex, located at 2051 NW 66th St. in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, was bought by Buena Vista Apartments LLC for $21.99 million in February of this year.
After being evicted in December of 2023, Colson found her way to The Caring Place, a nonprofit dedicated to helping individuals transition from homelessness to stability. However, she was initially reluctant to stay.
"She struggled in the beginning, she didn't want to be here," said Samantha Jenkins, case manager at The Caring Place, who worked closely with Colson during her stay. "She struggled with structure and following the rules, which is common for people in her situation. But what stood out was her willingness to try, even when it was hard."
Through financial literacy classes, life skill workshops, and counseling, Colson began to regain her footing. After six months, she graduated from the program and is now living in transitional housing, addressing health issues she had been forced to neglect during her time of homelessness. She is currently recovering from carpal tunnel surgery on her right arm.
"Once I worked with the program, things started to change," Colson said. "You are never too old to learn and that was a path I needed to cross -- it wasn't by mistake, it was by faith."
At The Caring Place, Colson found more than just shelter and support. "The Caring Place is a community in and of itself," she said. "We have events together, share dinner together. Once my apartment is ready and I am healed from my surgery, I am ready to go back and volunteer."
On June 6, 2024, Colson moved into her new apartment, and now, with the holiday season quickly approaching, she is excited to celebrate in her own space for the first time in a long time.
The Caring Place nominated Colson for the Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald Wish Book program, which asks readers to help needy members of the community, saying her "will and determination to succeed is an inspiration."
Now settled into her new home, Colson is focused on making it feel truly hers. Her biggest wishes in her new home: a softer mattress to ease her back pain, pots and pans, an area rug, and a television.
"Now, I finally have a place where I can breathe, where I can start over," Colson said. "After everything, I just want to feel at home again."
HOW TO HELP
To help this Wish Book nominee and more than 100 others who are in need this year:
▪ To donate, use the coupon found in the newspaper or pay securely online through www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook
▪ For more information, call 305-376-2906 or email Wishbook@MiamiHerald.com
▪ The most requested items are often laptops and tablets for school, furniture, and accessible vans
▪ Read all Wish Book stories on www.MiamiHerald.com/wishbook