Photo: Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group
On a sunny fall day, Ashley Henry sits quietly outside a coffee shop steps from Salvio Square and talks about how Queen Elizabeth changed her life.
Yes, that’s the British regent’s name, but it’s also the moniker for a white Toyota 4Runner sport-utility vehicle parked in a space, ready to run errands and ferry Henry’s children toward a more resilient, stable future, thanks to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County’s Auto Assistance Program.
“I was in a homeless shelter and another lady had went through (the program) and gotten a vehicle,” Henry said. “So, I was about to get discharged from the shelter and I’m like, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.”