Both Danbury and Stamford metro areas are ranked among the most expensive places to live in the U.S., according to Business Insider. Factors contributing to this include high housing and child care costs, as well as high taxes. United Ways provide support for basic needs including food, utility assistance, referrals, and emergency funds. United Ways are also working collaboratively to invest in the rapid rehousing of families and to connect them with stable jobs. Recent results show a 65% reduction of family homelessness in Fairfield County.
The volunteer services provided by our Financial Resource Center are a vital support to families in our area who need coaching on financial planning and budgeting as a means to keep them in their homes. Had it not been for the guidance provided by one of our financial coaches, Kendra might not still be living in her home. At the time that Kendra moved into her home built by Housatonic Habitat for Humanity in 2003, she was a single mom raising her 10 year old daughter. Hear what Kendra had to say below about the critical support she received from UWWC:
“I lost my job in 2015 after 18 years as an executive assistant. I was going through financial hardship. I was truly a financial nightmare. That’s when I was introduced to Irv, one of your financial coaches. When I first met him, I was nervous and embarrassed. I felt a lot of emotions.”
“He sat with me, he listened, and he advised me. He had me do a budget. He gave me an outline of how to start it. He went step by step with me. He literally held my hand. I had fallen behind in my mortgage payments. He joined me at the meeting with CT Housing Finance Authority when I applied for mortgage assistance. He reviewed the process with me and helped me fill out the complicated parts of the application.”
Audio: Kendra in her own words (wma file for Windows) (m4a file for Apple)
“I was really happy to be connected to this resource. What I realized during this process is the hardest part is asking someone for help. Once people realize it’s not an embarrassment, or no one is judging you, this is an actual thing to help you become a better you.”
“Once you can get past that, you’d be surprised how much is out there to help you. And the services you provide are pretty amazing. It was really quite a blessing. And today, it’s a total weight off my shoulders. I can honestly say that this was a point in my life where I didn’t see myself getting to. This was hard. I am very grateful for the experience. I feel much better now. I feel more confident.”
Audio: More from Kendra (wma file for Windows) (m4a file for Apple)
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