Southeast CDC’s Family Stability Program provides case management services and financial assistance to families who have a utility turn off notice or who are at risk of losing their home. Read on for an inspirational story of how our staff support their clients.
Before enrolling in the Family Stability Program, Claudia’s husband Pedro had lost his job and was unemployed for a few months. Claudia stayed at home with their four children and the family depended entirely on Pedro’s income. Pedro eventually found a new job, but by that time the family had fallen behind on several bills and were struggling to catch up. Claudia met Kate, the Family Stability Program case manager, at an event at her children’s school. She shared that the family had received a BGE turnoff notice and she was worried that their service would be turned off. After enrolling in the program, Kate used client assistance funds to help the family pay the turnoff amount. Shortly after, however, Claudia and Pedro separated due to a situation of domestic violence. Claudia confided in Kate that Pedro had been abusing her for years, and this was the first time she reported it to the police. Kate helped Claudia to obtain a protective order to force Pedro to leave the house. Unfortunately, Pedro disappeared and thus it was impossible for Claudia to serve him with a child support order. As Claudia had no income of her own, she began again to fall behind on her bills, and received an eviction notice.
Working with Kate, Claudia took several steps to become financially independent, catch up on her bills, and keep her family from losing their home. She needed a lot of support through this process, as she has limited English and had been kept very isolated from the community as a result of being in an abusive relationship for so many years. Claudia and Kate met regularly for almost a year. In that time, Claudia learned how to apply for public benefits to help support her family, and then obtained a full-time job. She obtained a BGE account in her own name and started paying the bill on time each month, establishing credit for the first time. Claudia also worked out a payment plan with her rental management company so that she was not evicted. Kate also referred Claudia to a non-profit legal agency that is assisting Claudia in applying for her U-Visa, a legal status for immigrants who are victims of crime. Claudia is proud to be able to support her family on her own, and to now be living free of both abuse and debt. She is saving money and hopes to buy a house in the future.
*All names have been changed.
Featured artwork by Maria Cavacos.