It is unclear what happened to Clifford, but in 1953, Vernell and her children moved into the Matthew Henson Housing Project.
Vernell was unable to hold a full-time job due to severe arthritis, so she took in ironing and other small tasks.
She also rejoined the First Institutional Baptist Church, where she helped with fundraisers and served as secretary of the Pastor's Aid Society until she had to stop due to her arthritis.
[2] Due to the crime and poor living conditions in the housing project, Coleman worked to improve the community.
[3][2] In 1969, the Matthew Henson Neighborhood Council confronted the Housing Authority with charges of neglect, due to deteriorating apartments, roach infestations, a lack of maintenance, inflexibility surrounding rent, a lack of racial integration, and the racial prejudice of housing staff.
Ten years later, the Phoenix Human Resources Department director praised her for bringing issues with city housing project administration to light.
[4] Recalling the large Juneteenth celebrations in Texas, Coleman brought the tradition back to Phoenix.
[2] In 1978, Coleman, frustrated with watching her neighbors benefit from her work without contributing themselves, resigned as president of the Mathew Henson Housing Project tenants' council.