When Christine first moved to York from Puerto Rico, her first priority was her children – enrolling them in school at Hannah Penn K-8 in York City, connecting with the therapy they needed, and creating a home.
Through Community of Hope, the family resource center located within Hannah Penn, Community Progress Council connected Christine with a Resource Navigator who helped her access food, clothing, and computer services, all within the school.
From there, Christine connected to a Progress Coach who could support her as she worked toward greater stability for her family.
Christine’s ultimate goal? To buy her own home.
Christine’s Coach worked with her one-on-one to create a path toward achieving this goal, starting with the Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World program and Financial Literacy classes. Thanks to her hard work, Christine improved her credit score by nearly 100 points in just 10 short months!
Financial counseling, careful planning, and the support of her Coach helped Christine begin saving for her down payment.
It had been difficult enough to find an apartment when Christine first arrived in York in August 2020, and she and her children spent some time staying with a friend, sharing one room with a mattress on the floor. But she never lost hope. Ultimately, after five months, she found a place of her own.
But the impacts of COVID continued. Her van broke down, and an unexpected surgery caused her to miss almost three weeks from her full-time job. Her Coach recommended she apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and Christine qualified. The rent relief helped her to stay in her apartment and keep her lights and heat on.
“I don’t want to be at that moment that I can’t pay my rent, thinking ‘Where are my kids going to go?’”
Christine has always been a saver, she said. Because of the ERAP support she received, she has been able to stay in her apartment, keep her family safe, and keep working toward her goals. In fact, Christine says this summer, she’s ready to start looking for a home of her own.