Lisa Squire

 

    I have known Lisa since 1993 when I first returned to City College. She was very inspirational as she was a single parent going to school full-time while taking care of her son who at the time was a special needs child. She struggled and still kept her head above water while showing a son born with autism all the love and more a mother can show her child.
    She eventually got married and had a second son. She and her husband moved to Maryland and though the marriage failed and she got a divorce Lisa still managed to survive and work and do what she needed to do. Her oldest son overcame his challenges and not only graduated from regular high school taking regular classes but he took some classes in college. Lisa was born again into the church and had her children dedicated to the church. Her eldest son became my godson.
    Eventually Lisa moved back to New York City with my godson to pursue a culinary career. The two of them had to move in with her mother which may sound easy but her mother is a senior on a budget and the apartment was very small when it housed just her mother. Imagine how tiny it is with three people.
    I included Lisa in this blog because technically she is homeless and her situation is similar to a lot of Americans. People who lost their jobs or could not find work or an apartment after graduating from school. People like Lisa and my godson are forgotten because they have a place to lay their heads, but in all reality they are homeless because they are not on a lease and if at any time her mother God forbid passed away or demanded that they leave, the two of them would be among the thousands sleeping on the street.
    Lisa allowed me to interview her and I thought what she had to say was interesting.