Raven Jones, 62, was born in New York, then moved to San Diego when she was six years old. Was homeless for a while, ostracized for being trans and Black.

But her incredibly positive attitude about life prevails. She loves hats and jewelry, always seems to find the most unique necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings on her shopping trips. You can spot Raven several blocks away because her outfits are always flowing and usually colorful. Though she is discriminating about who she associates with, Raven is generous, often giving away her jewelry when someone shows an interest in a particular piece.

She has lived in several different transitional housing situations, including the now non-existent Metro Hotel, a residence for people with physical or mental disabilities. Through Rapid Rehousing, she was able to land a place at the Alpha Square when it was first opened, a modern residential housing complex in the heart of downtown San Diego, run by the Alpha Project for the Homeless.

Despite having her own small apartment with a microwave and sink, she prefers eating at the various soup kitchens that she frequented when she was homeless. “I cook, but I’m not that good at cooking. I like to eat other people’s cooking,” she said.

As so many other formerly homeless individuals do, Raven actively volunteers her time and personal knowledge to help others connect to services or deal with their daily needs. She sings in two choirs; one being the First Presbyterian Church street choir and the other is the famed Voices of Our City Choir, which rose to stardom on the show America’s Got Talent.

She admits to still having her vices - she smokes cigarettes and drinks alcohol, but has never been comfortable doing drugs.

As a transgender person, she applauds San Diego doctors for their compassionate counseling and the numerous surgeries she required over the years to finally get “her twins.” Her own family thought she was going through a phase and would eventually give up notions of transitioning to become a woman. But Raven knew she would never be comfortable as anything but a complete woman. It wasn’t about her relationships, she said. In fact, she feels better as a single woman than being in a relationship. “Relationships are like salt and pepper,: she said. “I’ve been single and I like being single.”