Pregnant woman turned away from Red Cross shelter continues desperate search for permanent housing

It's been a tough few weeks for Marina Morse after the American Red Cross shelter near the Eaton Fire turned her away following a brief hospital stay.

While she's received help from local nonprofits like My Tribe Rise, which paid for her motel room, she faces another uncertain future. 

Morse, who is 7.5 months pregnant, must pack up her belongings and find a more permanent home for her and her cat as their motel stay ends. 

"Some people are saying, do the shelter, but I don't want to do that because I don't feel like it's safe," she said. "I feel like I have to have somewhere permanent. I don't want to have the baby in the car."

Morse has been busy applying for disability benefits and searching for roommates or other housing options through websites like Craigslist, but finding a stable living situation has not been easy. 

"It's hard to find someone that would accept a cat," she said. "There's like two or three, and I emailed them, and they haven't gotten back to me yet. I called some numbers, but I haven't gotten anything."

Morse stayed at the American Red Cross shelter at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium immediately after the Eaton Fire destroyed her home and workplace. She said she went to the hospital due to some complications with her pregnancy. When she tried to return to the new shelter location in Duarte, she was not allowed back in.

The Red Cross said in a statement, "Once someone has checked out from the temporary emergency sheltering program, they are generally not eligible for re-admittance."

After hearing her story, Heavenly Hughes from My Tribe Rise helped Marina find a motel room, which she is grateful for. 

"I really appreciate that they gave me some relief because I probably would just have been in the car for a while with my cat," she said. 

While more help is on the way, Morse must hold onto the enduring faith that has pushed her through this challenging time.

"My mom always believed in hope, trying to have hope regardless of circumstances," she said. "I do want to pass on that message to my baby; to never give up and keep trying no matter what."

My Tribe Rise and Elizabeth House, a nonprofit that supports pregnant and parenting moms, said they are scrambling to find something for Morse.