One San Diego couple is spending the holidays in a new home after years of experiencing homelessness. Justin Reeb and Dullanni Waterman moved into the PATH Villas El Cerrito supportive housing complex a few months ago. They were living in an encampment near the San Diego River for nearly a decade until City-funded outreach teams connected them to services.  

Reeb and Waterman still remember getting the call saying they were moving into a new place.

“I feel a lot less burdened – a lot less stressed,” said Waterman. “We didn’t give up. We didn’t get complacent or get comfortable with the situation.”

The couple stayed at shelters before and would save money to buy hotel rooms when they could. Both had been working toward stable housing.

“My biggest thing is – I’ll be at peace when I have a roof over my head and a door that locks,” said Reeb. “And I have that now and I smile a lot more.”

Reeb and Waterman are adjusting to their new home and neighborhood, which they share with their two dogs. Reeb said they are settling in.

“He (Waterman) sleeps like a baby now,” Reeb said.

The housing success story is one of several from a four-month effort to provide temporary and long-term housing options for people experiencing homelessness and who had been living along the San Diego River. It’s part of a multi-phase approach to connect individuals to resources, remove encampments and address environmental concerns under a state Encampment Resolution Fund (ERF) grant program.

Waterman was working while taking steps to end his homelessness. PATH San Diego outreach workers helped Waterman sustain employment and build sustainability.

“We built a nice little rapport with (our outreach worker),” Waterman said. “Even with the jobs – if I needed like a ride to an interview or whatever he would help give me a lift so I could go there because he saw that I’m trying to do something.”

The couple is looking forward to spending the holidays together with their small family.

“All the other Christmases were in a shelter, a church,” he said. “Outdoors – a couple Christmases I was busy saving our friends’ lives because they had some situation going on where I needed to (give them) Narcan and do this and do that.”

Waterman said they have already gotten a Christmas tree and plan to relax at home.

“I want to get that whole special feeling back and I think, as time goes on, it will happen,” he said.

The pair said the journey to get housed was not the easiest, but Waterman has some advice for those who have experienced similar situations.

“When you’re done – you’re done and you’re going to be like, ‘I’m either going to continue on with this or I’m going to do something about it,’” Waterman said. “Thing is – just understand it’s (securing housing) not going to be necessarily a cakewalk. It’s not going to be something that may happen overnight – it might require footwork or be a difficult task but either way – if you really want that to happen it’s going to take some action on your part.”