Agency steps up to help woman with cancer experiencing homelessness

CHARLOTTE — People who are newly homeless can’t get into shelters, which is a problem on the rise in the region.

Cynthia Nantz didn’t have a home in June and a month ago, Nantz was sleeping and living at a shopping plaza in Pineville near a hospital where she gets cancer treatment.

“It was scary because it seemed like I was in the hospital like every month,” Nantz told Channel 9 Wednesday. “I’d probably still be in the hospital.”

Nantz said she has had many misfortunes over the past year.

She said her medical problems prevented her from getting to her job and when her disability ran out, she was living out of a shopping cart.

“I had a really good run with a career,” Nantz said. “I was in management all those years and then life happened.”

Nantz said she spent months trying to get into a shelter.

However, Nantz said she didn’t qualify because she hadn’t been homeless long enough or didn’t have children.

Courtney Denton, who runs the Life House Women’s Shelter in Rock Hill, said a lot of people are struggling with similar issues.

“I was drawn to Cynthia’s story,” said Denton after seeing Channel 9′s report in June. “I think homelessness now looks like Cynthia in a lot of people’s lives.”

The Life House provided Nantz with a bed and transportation to her medical appointments.

“Getting here, I was very grateful,” Nantz said. “I am so appreciative that this was available for me, but it is not long-term. This is just a stepping stone.”

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