Hard Times Lead to
Encouraging Others
Family Self-Sufficiency graduate, Joelle, stands proudly
in front of her new home with her three children. She purchased the
home in August 2003 with the help of funds she received from the Family Self-Sufficiency
Program.
Joelle remembers a time when things weren’t so easy.
In January 2000, she moved to the area from South Carolina with her two daughters
and newborn son. She was recently divorced, unemployed, and her 11-day
old son was struggling to survive after spending days in Intensive Care.
Joelle describes feeling very “overwhelmed” at that point in her life.
Her parents provided a temporary place in a trailer for Joelle to live, but
after a few months, they urged Joelle to pursue the rental assistance program
through WCCA. Joelle was accepted on the Section 8 program in April
2000 and moved her family into a new rental unit. With the help she
received from Section 8, Food Stamps, Medicaid, and some emergency assistance
programs, she was able to remain at home with her children for several months,
which was a much-needed break for her from the emotionally exhausting events
of the past year. During this time, she participated in many community
programs, such as the Out For Lunch program offered by the N.C. Cooperative
Extension, and the reading programs through the Family Place. Joelle
states that, with limited financial resources, her family learned to “live
where we were,” or live on less. The better shopping techniques that
she developed during that time in her life are sticking with her today, even
when her financial situation is much improved.
Joelle joined the FSS program in July 2000. Her
goals included returning to school to get her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing,
finding employment, finding decent child care, credit repair, and Home Buyer’s
Education. Joelle credits the Head Start program for helping her “get
started on getting back on my feet”; her two youngest children were admitted
to the Home-Based Head Start program, and really liked the teacher who visited
them regularly at their home. When a new Head Start center opened in
town, Joelle’s children were able to go to the center during the day while
Joelle pursued school and a part-time job. For the next several years,
she worked and attended school. While she was working, she was able
to start an escrow account with the FSS Program for future use as a downpayment
on a home. She also began working to improve her credit and attended
a Home Buyer’s Education course. By the time Joelle graduated three
years later, she had completed her Bachelor’s degree in nursing, had a full-time
job at the local hospital, and purchased a 4-bedroom home.
Today, as a nurse with Hospice, she feels she has a fulfilling
career and a bright future. Joelle says that she wasn’t sure at times
if she was going to make it through the hard time in her life, but she claims,
“…to be able to look back on it and see that I can now be an encouragement
to others is worth it.”