Planning and Getting Ahead

Good Neighbors’ mission is to help all our neighbors who call us for assistance. We
strive to meet our neighbors where they are on their journey to stability, and every so often we
come across someone who is so very close to solving the problem that prompted a call to GNBC
in the first place. Such is the story of Madison. Madison is a young woman living in our
community who has overcome tremendous obstacles in her life. Two years ago, she was
diagnosed with a serious infection that affected her health greatly. She had a good-paying job
and worked through a lot of debilitating pain until she could no longer keep up with the long
hours her job demanded of her. She had to quit her job, only working with Door Dash for a year
while she went through multiple treatments and transfusions. Even though the treatments
were hard on her, this did not stop her from looking for employment while she recovered for
almost a full year. During this time, she was lucky to have the support of her mother to help her
financially, but recently her mother was diagnosed with cancer and could no longer support
Madison financially. She was determined to not only get better but also, get back to work as
soon as she could. She wanted to be able to take care of her mother.

Madison made an appointment to speak with a coach at GNBC on a Monday. She was
already partially behind in rent and the next month was due by the following week. She came
to the appointment, talked with a coach, and explained her situation. The coach met with
Madison and listened to her plans. As it turned out Madison’s determination to find a job had
paid off. She had received a call back from an employer for a second interview, but even if she
got the job, she would not get paid before her rent was due again. The coach offered Madison
several suggestions on how she could find ways to save money and plan until she received her
first paycheck including what community resources she had available to her. GNBC helped with
a partial rent payment to help her get caught up.

By Wednesday Madison called GNBC with great news. She was offered the job and
would start on Monday. The income she would be receiving would cover all her bills. Madison
was happy to say that she had talked with her landlord, and he was willing to give her time to
receive her first paycheck and then pay the balance she owed him for her rent in a couple of
payments. Madison shared the following statement, “I am thankful for your help. Just being
able to talk it over with some helped me find the answers I needed. I would like to attend the
budget course you offer. I can see the benefit of having a plan to follow and get ahead.”