Woman on $800 Monthly Disability Allowance Sleeps in Truck in Phoenix, Arizona, as Rents Rise

Carla Pinocchio’s path into homelessness began when she separated from her partner of 18 years and moved in temporarily with her cousin. Pinocchio, 55, had planned to use her disability allowance, which totals $800 a month, to rent an apartment after undergoing back surgery.

She could not afford housing in Phoenix, Arizona, where median monthly rent jumped 33% during the COVID-19 pandemic to more than $1,220 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to ApartmentList.com. For a neighbor living on a fixed disability allowance, that gap between income and rent shows why protecting the vulnerable matters (Proverbs 31:8-9).

Pinocchio soon began sleeping in her old pickup truck, curled up with her German shepherd, Scrappy.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Hebrew)