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 1st. 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!