On days when you just want to get things done and everything seems to go wrong it is
hard to make choices that will affect your future. This is the story of Janet who recently gained
custody of her two young granddaughters. Janet is a senior who had raised her children some
time ago and was living alone. She had a good-paying job that covered all her needs and bills.
Four months ago, she took in her two young granddaughters who are 6 and 4 years old. During
the summer she was able to find child care and keep working after a short leave of absence
when she was granted custody. Now that school is in session the younger child is having trouble
adjusting and is sent home often. This caused Janet to have to give up her job due to absences.
Things started to pile up and the utility bill came due. Janet had gone through all her
money and was not able to pay the utility bill this month as she had not found another job yet.
She made an appointment with Good Neighbors for assistance. We were able to assist Janet
with her utility bill to avoid disconnection of service. During the coaching, she shared what she
had been going through. In her mind, if she could just find child care she could go back to work.
Since child care is expensive and she is adjusting to a family of 3 now, the coach suggested she
look into a program from a partnering agency called Pathway of Hope from the Salvation Army.
At first, Janet was hesitant to call and make the appointment, but she took the information with
her to think about it.
Last week I visited the Salvation Army office to collaborate on assistance for another
family and saw Janet as she was leaving. She was much more relaxed with a smile on her face.
She shared with me that she had found a work-from-home job that would allow her to be
available for her granddaughters. She was very thankful for the assistance GNBC provided with
her utility bill and for the recommendation to start the Pathway of Hope program. She said,
“Thank you for the referral to Pathway of Hope. I was not sure about starting the program, but I
can see that these services will help me to take care of the girls and give them a safe and happy
home.”
It takes a village to raise a child and a community to take care of our neighbors!