CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – It's called the heart of a home for a reason.
"My kitchen — because I love to cook,” Lacherl Campbell says.
On this rainy Friday night, Campbell is grateful for heartwarming meals and great conversations.
And this meal is even more special: It's the first of many meals to be had right here, in her brand-new kitchen.
"Oh my goodness, it was like, it was kind of surreal because it's been so long, you know,” Campbell said.
A long time in the making for this once homeless woman.
Campbell moved from the Connections interim housing at PATH San Diego to her new apartment at the beginning of March.
"When I got those keys I felt like 'OK, I finally made it home,'” Campbell said.
Before making it into her home, Campbell went on a tough journey before settling here.
"My husband and I moved from our house to a hotel because we were trying to find another home. Then the accident happened, so that pretty much left to me fend for myself. I guess we can say homeless because I had nowhere to go,” Campbell said.
After the accident, she got into a recuperative care bed at PATH San Diego, through a program called CalAIM.
"So, it's using insurance services to really take care of whole person care. So, it's not just traditional health care. It also pays for behavior health support, homeless and housing services including the shelter Lacherl was at,” Tyler Renner, who works at PATH San Diego, says.
PATH San Diego told ABC 10News only certain counties are implementing the program.
The organization also says that if you have Medi-Cal, you can access these services by working with your healthcare provider and other service providers.
While at PATH, case workers helped Campbell get into her new apartment through the CalAIM program.
"So there's up to $5,000 to help with application fees, utilities, first month's rent,” Renner said.
Campbell hopes to put more pictures up and furnish the rest of her new home.
Her so-called "queen cave" gives her a huge sense of accomplishment and a place to plan her future path.
"I feel great, and I feel like I can conquer anything if I put my mind to it,” Campbell said.
