Irene, a resident of National CORE’s Mission Cove affordable housing community, said Hope through Housing threw her a desperately needed lifeline in March when the foundation provided her with emergency aid in the form of a month’s rent.
Irene, a caregiver, quit her job after her youngest daughter was hurt so she could stay home and tend to her. Savings and a family leave program helped her keep up with costs for a while, but eventually she had to turn to government food programs to keep food on the table. She fell behind on her rent – to the tune of $11,000 after nearly a year.
“It was the hardest time for me,” she said. “It was a whole mess. But I had to stop working to take care of my daughter.”
As her daughter recovered, Irene returned to work. But the staggering debt was consuming every penny she earned.
Then she learned about Hope through Housing’s emergency aid program, which provides National CORE residents with one-time aid. In return, recipients enroll in the foundation’s Pathways to Economic Empowerment financial coaching program.
“I was doing really bad with everything that was happening. I had zero money.”
The aid – one month’s rent – helped her get ahead of the debt, which is now down to $4,000. She is paying it off steadily every month, thanks in part to her new job as a caregiver.
“It means a lot to me and my family that Hope through Housing was able to help me,” she said.