Grants Pass, Ore. — A Grants Pass woman is desperately trying to find housing. Shari Hayes says she only has a few days before she’s out on the streets.
“I’m known in the neighborhood as the egg lady,” Hayes said.
For years, Hayes has fed homeless youth in her neighborhood.
“I always keep boiled eggs around, these kids out there know this, and so they come in every once in a while, and I’ll say, ‘you hungry?’ And they’ll say, ‘yeah I could eat a boiled egg,'” Hayes said. “I say, ‘ok, remember. when you take this egg, and you crack this egg, that you are making an opening for a new life.'”
These days, Hayes, a 69 year old with multiple medical problems, is close to being homeless herself.
“I respect my landlords, I always have, any landlord,” Hayes said. “And I like my landlords… I was not expecting a no fault eviction.”
After going to court,Hayes was given the order to leave her apartment of nearly ten years by the 31st of May.
“I followed her rules, I mean, from day one, I’ve been a smoker with a dog from day one, good dogs, and I’m very considerate of other people,” Hayes said.
While these issues were brought up in court, Hayes says water damage in the kitchen is the real reason for the eviction.
“The ceiling fell in October,” Hayes said.
Hayes says a drip above her stove went unrepaired for four years, even after she says she contacted her landlords about it. In 2016, she says it finally gave in.
“It was all bubbling up, next I see it was starting to drip,” Hayes said. “I would say, just a couple hours after that, it all broke loose.”
Hayes says the damage, and clean up process, was extensive.
“Put three blowers in for three weeks, trying to dry it out, full of mold,” Hayes said. “It’s a mess, I’ve got mold stuff from it.”
Just a couple months later, Hayes says the eviction notice came on Christmas Eve. She says she’s been searching for housing on Craigslist, but she can’t find anything in her price range.
“I’m in a mess, I’m going homeless, nothing I can do, holiday weekend, no money comes in until the fifth,” Hayes said. “But I want to fight this battle with everybody else.”
The battle she’s talking about: Oregon House Bill 2004, which would prevent landlords from evicting tenants without cause. Right now, it’s in the Senate for consideration.
Hayes says she hopes other people don’t have to go through the same problems as her.
“I just want help getting into fighting this law and a home,” Hayes said. “Oh, and I want to take my dogs.”
NBC5 News did reach out to her landlords. They did not want to be named, or comment on Hayes’ claims.
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