Investing in our community through donations to United Way impacts thousands of people. This story is about one family that was helped.
Despite a steady income, Tawana and her family experienced homelessness. For seven months, this loving mother and her four children stayed with different families while she looked for a place to call home. Tawana understood that not having your own space can negatively affect your mental health, especially for children. She wanted to find a stable home for her family.
Affording a deposit, first month’s rent, and starting utilities can be a daunting sum. Tawana turned to United Way partner, St. Anne Community Outreach, for help. They enrolled Tawana in their Rental Clinic. Through the Rental Clinic, an advocate helped her develop a housing stability plan with two goals; a short-term goal to ensure her bills are paid on time and a long-term goal to build a savings account. In addition, the Rental Clinic provided the housing deposit while Tawana paid the first month’s rent.
St. Anne Community Outreach also connected Tawana with another United Way partner, The Family Center, to boost her financial resiliency. There, Tawana completed the Consumer Credit Counseling budget class.
To ensure Tawana and her family’s basic needs were met, St. Anne Community Outreach provided her family with groceries, general clothing, and school uniforms. The children are now registered to attend Dorothy Height Elementary School and Edy Middle School. Dorothy Height Elementary is one of United Way’s Community Schools. This partnership provides support for Tawana’s family at the school as well.
St. Anne Community Outreach will continue to advocate for Tawana by connecting with her often and helping her reach her goals.
