It’s crazy to think that I have been in Monterey for the past five years, and it has been so different from what I expected when I moved here. I decided to come home to spend the end of my 30s and the beginning of my 40s with my mom—my favorite person in the world—after be ing in the city for 18 years. I was ready for the party to be over, for the drugs and alcohol to settle down, and to be "normal." I wanted to find a place that was safe and healthy. I didn’t know, obviously, that my mom was going to die during that time. When she passed, everyone in my life turned on me. I was in an incredibly vulnerable position. I was broken when I entered Genisis House . 

The Systemic Trap

I am still not sure exactly what I signed in 2020 during my first time in rehab. I remember telling them once about my struggle—that I had looked for heroin because I was so low knowing my mom was dying, hoping to overdose when she was gone.I trusted my counselor. I filled out an assessment for housing, never believing it would actually happen. I didn't think I would get an apartment; I thought I would be stuck in a program for years, falling through the cracks. At the time, I was so numb I couldn't process anything other than how broken everything was.

The "Opportunity" and the Reality of Housing

When I received the letter stating I had been granted a brand-new apartment, I thought it was a miracle. It was furnished, a big opportunity. I thought I had done something right and that I was going to be able to fix my life.
I didn’t know how the housing systems worked, or the demographics they use to manipulate people. They prioritize a "master list" rather than an actual list of people who have been waiting for years. I didn't consider that the people around me would be watching, judging every little thing I did, because they were jealous. The apartment came with so many ties—not just the monitoring and being treated like a lab rat, but being forced to "tap dance" so they could keep their numbers up for their sponsors. You are forced to be around people who are so bitter and miserable that they would rather see you lose everything than see you succeed.

Institutional Manipulation and Liability

When I later reviewed my medical records, I discovered that my psychiatrist—who wasn't even licensed in the state because she transferred her license from Colorado during COVID—had written things in my notes. This wasn't for my treatment; it was part of a "systematic narrative code" to shift liability onto the organization.
They knew I had caught on to their behavior. They found it easier to write off someone with a personality disorder than someone with an actual clinical diagnosis. When I removed myself from the services of the company I was living and working with, they did some gutter-level things: they lowered my score, stripped my supports, and manipulated my records so I no longer qualified for assistance. I was never about the community; it was about the funding, the control, the numbers, the optics, and the "three-year plan." I sat across from a deputy director of a nonprofit with $40 million in assets—a woman who brings in tens of millions in grants—and
told her I didn't have food to eat, that I was trying to start my life over. She simply smiled, told me she had a meeting, and confirmed to me that this whole "mental health" system is just a business.

Misconduct and Grievances

This is the same leadership that listened to me report sexual misconduct involving a staff member who came to my apartment after work from  on a dating app.for a 3 some. When I tried to file a grievance, it was buried by the 504 coordinator—the former deputy director of 18 years, currently the special mental health manager overseeing the nursing program.They didn't care about the misconduct. They were already planning my eviction to push me out before the incident occurred,and my report was just a "bump" in their pre-existing plan. They hadn't expected the misconduct to happen, but they were already working toward my removal. They retaliated by increasing my rent, switching my contract lease when I removed services, and using the removal of my case management as an excuse to strip away all support. They even told staff members they would get in trouble if they helped me with anything.

Conclusion and Warning

They used my participation as an incubator to "get the bugs out" of their new system before they launched it for everyone else.When I went to the quality improvement department—the people at the health department supposed to be overseeing this—they minimized it and erased it. These licensed clinicians weaponize services; if you don't play their game, they don't care if you're eating or if you've been violated by their staff.
If I could go back, I don't know if I would do it differently, but I would warn anyone with a mental health challenge: think very hard about what you are giving up when you enter these programs. This isn't care; it's a trap. If you have anyone you can rely on outside of this system

—family or friends—mend those relationships before you let the system pull you in.

V.Cardoza

6.15.2026