Karen and her 12-year-old son, Jason, have been living with family for the past year.
After an unfortunate divorce, having to relocate, and having to find a job due to loss of income
from the separation, Karen has been trying to gain stability. Jason is a whirlwind of energy and
is involved in multiple school activities. Karen works full-time as a receptionist in a medical
office. Over the past several months, she has been able to save some money to move into an
apartment with her son. Finding a decent place to live that fits her income has been
challenging. Last month she found a place that would be ready right before Christmas, but she
would need to have a security deposit of $1,300.00 and a utility deposit of $225.00 before she
could move in. Not to mention her first month’s rent ready to be paid on January 1 st . That
amount alone was overwhelming to Karen to have all at once.
Through a friend from work, Karen heard about Good Neighbors and that we might be
able to help her with the added costs of deposits for move-in. She decided to call and find out
more information. She completed the application online and set an appointment to come in
during her lunch hour. While in her appointment, Karen shared that she was struggling with
saving money and trying to prepare for the future as she had had a car repair come out of the
blue that ate into her savings a few months prior.
The coach that Karen met with was able to share several community resources with her
that she could use to help in the coming months as she gets accustomed to paying bills again.
Good Neighbors was able to help Karen find solutions for her current needs and help pay the
utility deposit and a partial rent deposit through our SURE Program. With our help, Karen was
able to work out an agreement with the property owner to make payments on the remaining
rent deposit over the next 4 months. Karen also decided that she wanted to attend the free
Budget Classes we offer at Good Neighbors monthly.
Things are looking up for Karen and Jason for 2024!