CULVER CITY, Calif. — Elizabeth Estes’ family has gone from living in tents on Ocean Front Walk to living in a Culver City motel room for over a month, to moving into permanent housing.

“Exciting and it feels good. It feels good to know that I am going to have a place to go home to, you know,” Estes said. 

Outside of their motel room, the family and outreach workers with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority worked together to begin online shopping for the new space.

Estes and her two sons will each receive a $1,800 voucher to help furnish their soon-to-be home through a St. Joseph Center program. Estes said she did not know what to expect when they took interim housing, but she is happy she did.

“I thought I was going to be stuck here at the motel forever, but it’s starting to sink in. It’s real,” she said.

The family picked out a couch, beds, mattresses, kitchen sets and more to help them create a place of stability.

More than 200 people, including Estes and her sons, received some type of interim housing with the help of the St. Joseph Center, LAHSA and the city of Los Angeles’ Encampment to Homes program, according to the nonprofit.

Casey Pratts is the outreach head with LAHSA, who helped the family make the transition. She could not be happier to see the trio succeed as the first family that she is helping to move into permanent housing. 

“The little things that seem so small to us, they are huge for some of our clients, you know. Just like the shopping. That alone is making it feel real for her. Helping someone get their ID, that changes everything for them,” Pratts said.

Estes never thought she would receive as much help as she has been getting and it is helping her look forward to getting back to what she loves.

“Cooking and I don’t know, just enjoying my boys,” she said.

It is not clear when move-in day will be, but Estes and her family are ready to get back to living a life they once had.