Meet Marlena: "Life is so much easier when your life is in order"

When Marlena came to Hamilton Families, her goals were to obtain employment, lower her debt, and find housing that would stabilize her family. Through the Housing and Family Services program, she received funding for her security deposit, a monthly rental subsidy, a grant for new furniture, and ongoing case management to build her housing retention skills. Initially, finding employment was difficult because Marlena did not have access to the internet. Working closely with her case manager, Marlena came into the office to fill out applications whenever she could. After diligently searching for employment, Marlena found part-time employment doing retail work. Over time, Marlena gained more hours and became a full-time employee.

“Life is so much easier when your life is in order.”

Over the course of the subsidy, Marlena realized that the apartment that she was living in was too expensive for her to maintain. Marlena continued to explore her housing options, actively searching online, reading newspapers, and consulting friends. With all her hard work, Marlena was able to move into a more affordable unit that still fit her family’s needs. Moving into this new unit helped her save over $400 a month.

With the money that Marlena saved, she was able to start paying off her debt, and meet with Consumer Credit Counseling to arrange a payment plan that will help get her finances back in order. Marlena successfully reached all her goals by the time her enrollment in the program was over. As Marlena stated, “I had to do all of these things in order to provide a good life for my children. Life is so much easier when your life is in order.”