Section 8 Application PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — 20 years ago, Dr. Donna Beegle never would have guessed she could fill a hotel ballroom with people who wanted to hear her speak. But on Monday, Beegle was the keynote speaker at MaineHousing’s affordable housing conference in Portland.
Beegle grew up poor in Portland, Oregon, part of a family of migrant laborers with little to no literacy.
She dropped out of school in the 9th grade, was married at 15, and at the age of 25, she was a homeless, single mom of two kids. Beegle said, “Every ounce of my energy was going toward where are we going to lay our heads tonight.”
Beegle says getting her Section 8 housing voucher a miracle. She had been chosen for a pilot welfare to work program that not only gave her a place to live, but an opportunity to learn the life skills that middle class families take for granted. Beegle said, “Never ever knew anyone who benefitted from education, never knew anyone who moved up in a job. But I saw people work hard my entire life and still get evicted because the kinds of jobs we could get weren’t the kinds of jobs where you could get a living wage.”
