Da’Monya Cavitt tiptoes down the stairs of the house in Vallejo, Calif., that he shares with his father and two other refinery workers. He moves quietly — everyone else works night shifts, and he’s careful not to wake them. The curtains stay drawn. The rooms stay dark. The creaky floors demand attention. There’s no Wi-Fi, but there’s space, a roof overhead, and — most important — possibilities.
At 29, Mr. Cavitt is ready to trade survival for stability. After years of housing insecurity, a carousel of low-wage jobs, and a childhood marked by upheaval, he’s been accepted into a competitive apprenticeship program with the Steamfitters Local 342 in Concord, Calif. It’s a path to solid union wages, benefits, and a career he hopes will allow him to someday own a home — maybe even flip houses like his mother used to.
“You get to a point where you realize you don’t just want to work — you need a career,” he said. “I want to build something for myself.”
To get to Da’monya Cavitt’s apartment, you have to go through the side gate and to the back of this house in a quiet Vallejo cul de sac.
For now, he lives in a small upstairs bedroom, just large enough for a bed and a dresser; a PlayStation 5 controller and iPad rest neatly on his quilted bedspread. There’s a portable AC in one corner, a ceiling fan above, and a narrow path between furniture.
“It’s pretty spartan,” Mr. Cavitt said of the furnished rental. But compared with the cramped motel room he and his father, Anthony Levi, 56, shared for nearly a year, this place is a breath of fresh air.