Weekly meetings with her volunteer mentors helped "Lori" identify the steps she needed to take to meet her short-term and long-term goals.
When single mom “Lori” applied to Faith Community Homes in 2018, she was barely getting by, financially and emotionally.
Her ex-husband had left her and their four children with significant debt, and Lori’s single income was not enough to cover rent and other expenses. Looking back on this time in her life, Lori recalled: “If Faith Community Homes had not accepted me, I would have been lost.”
The Faith Community Homes rent subsidy allowed Lori and her kids to stay in their apartment and avoid eviction. Soon after acceptance into the program, Lori began weekly meetings with her volunteer mentors. Her mentors helped Lori identify the steps she needed to take to meet her short-term and long-term goals.
With her mentors’ ongoing guidance, Lori made measurable progress:
Lori and her children moved into a less expensive apartment within the same school district. Although the family now has less space, their monthly rent and utility bills are lower.
Lori filed paperwork to collect child support from the children’s father.
She found a higher paying part-time job and negotiated a raise from her full-time employer. Currently working an average of 55 hours per week, Lori is earning more now than when she began our program.
Lori paid off all her credit card debt, totaling more than $9,000, which resulted in an increase in her credit score.
She also developed a household budget that allows her to stay current on her bills while also gradually adding to savings.
Lori is excited that her oldest child is on track to graduate from high school in spring 2021 and is already enrolled in community college. That child will be the first member on either side of her extended family to pursue education beyond 12th grade.
Lori completed her time with Faith Community Homes in December 2020. Reflecting on her two years in our program, she commented that her mentors had made the greatest impact of all. It was her mentors who kept her going throughout. Lori found it reassuring “to know that I always had someone looking out for me and my family. Setting up goals to do after each meeting helped me be organized and get things done. I always thought, ‘Oh, I have to get this done so I can show my mentors next week.’”
Lori closed her final evaluation with these words to Faith Community Homes: “Don’t stop doing what you do. My life has changed so much, thanks to your program. Words can’t explain how thankful I am.”
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