May, a single mother with three children, has been receiving Homeless & Hunger Prevention (HHP) services from Rural Community Action Ministry (RCAM) for a little over two years. She came to the organization in crisis after fleeing an abusive situation. She and her children moved in to RCAM’s Family Shelter and over seven months, the shelter navigator met weekly with May to work on developing a housing stability plan. During that process, May also participated in the Family Self-Sufficiency self-assessment process and set priorities for herself aimed at becoming economically stable. May was highly motivated to make changes and keep her children safe and secure. She began a job search and developed a feasible plan for keeping her car in good working condition, setting aside money for maintenance and repairs.
May developed a budget during her financial literacy counseling and was determined to stick to it. Typically, families in RCAM’s Family Shelter move on to subsidized rentals using a Housing Choice Voucher. May shared with her navigator that she wanted more security for her family, and together they worked on homeownership goals. May took first-time homebuyer courses and qualified for a reduced mortgage rate as a result. She and her children were able to move into a cozy new home over the summer.
May continues to meet with RCAM’s Shelter Navigator monthly as she works to build financial security. May still struggles with fear that her abuser will re-enter her life and keeps a very low profile, staying away from social media. RCAM received permission to share her story as long as her real name was not used, and her location was not shared.
