At TNDC's Franciscan Towers, you are likely to see Sharon Ray's smiling face welcoming visitors as they pass by. A well-known and loved fixture of the building's resident population, her cheery countenance brightens up the day for TNDC employees who stop by for a visit.

Sharon loves living in Franciscan Towers and it shows on her face. But she hasn't always had a home to love.

In Los Angeles in the mid-sixties, even though Sharon didn't have a place to sleep, she didn't consider herself homeless. "We called it 'hanging out,'" she explained. "We slept at a church." But soon, homelessness became a real problem for Sharon, as the scary reality of trying to survive without a roof over her head began to sink in.

After LA, Sharon spent some time in Las Vegas where she had three children, but decided to put them in foster care because she "didn't want them homeless like myself." However, Sharon's love for her children was the catalyst for her to stop drinking and using drugs over 30 years ago. "I looked at my daughter and made a promise not to drink anymore. I was trying to better myself."

Sharon came to San Francisco in September 1986. Sharon recalls that first day in SF, where fate led her to the corner of Jones and Market. It was there that she was told about the St. Anthony's Women's Shelter and found herself given the last remaining free bed of the evening.

Throughout the years, Sharon stayed mostly at the St. Anthony's Womens' shelter, but also slept on friends' couches, had short stints in SRO hotels, and, for a short period of time, went home to Dayton, Ohio, to care for her father who had a stroke. When Sharon returned to San Francisco in 2001, she was once again homeless, but still managed to earn her GED. Sharon said her father always wanted her to get her diploma, but in the end "I did it for me, because I had wanted to accomplish something for myself." Sharon fondly remembers receiving her GED as a "proud moment."

Sharon moved into TNDC's Franciscan Towers in 2006 after a case manager from the St. Anthony's Womens' Shelter helped her apply for a Shelter Plus Care subsidy. Shelter Plus Care provides homes to low-income individuals who are chronically homeless. Tenants with a Shelter Plus Care subsidy pay 30% of their monthly income towards rent, regardless of income amount. The remaining rent balance is paid by the Shelter Plus Care Program.

When Sharon first saw her new home at the Franciscan Towers, she recalls seeing the large refrigerator and stove and was excited "to make cornbread in my own kitchen." Sharon also says the staff and other tenants are "sweet" and enjoys volunteering weekly for the Towers' San Francisco Food Bank produce drop donations. Sharon is also an avid BINGO fan and attends these community events organized by the on-site TNDC social worker, Liz Degaldillo.

When Sharon looks back on her years of homelessness, she recalls it as being "rough for a woman. Men….everybody tries to take advantage of you. It's not a place you want to be." And now that Sharon is indoors, especially during the rain, she is "glad, but I feel bad for the people who are out there. We need more low-income housing."

"What is the best part about living at the Franciscan Towers?" I asked Sharon. She looks down at her feet and starts to grin. She is tracing the outline of her key with her finger. "People don't have to buzz me in anymore."