Part 3: Light a Candle and Keep Looking

Sixty brokers, 10 months. Shakira Crawford is looking for a home

In the third installment of our series about homelessness in New York City (click above to listen) Shakira thinks she's finally caught a break. But yet another apartment turns out to be a bad deal.

So she finally does something she’s never done before: she visits her grandmother’s house in the Bronx, and reveals she's been living in a shelter. Grandma commiserates, and tells Shakira that God will help her out.

After midnight, the family returns to their shelter in East New York. Almost a year after beginning their search, it's still the only home they have.

"It's my life and nobody else's," Shakira says. "Got to take charge of it."

Read more about Shakira's story on The Guardian.


Since this series began, WNYC has received numerous inquiries from listeners who want to help Shakira Crawford. If you’d like to donate, she has set up a PayPal account here. Please note that WNYC is not affiliated with this account. We do not control the money nor do we monitor how it is spent. Donations are considered a gift to Crawford, and are not tax-deductible.