Homeless to House Manager: How United Way Helped Me
I am 47 years old and I have lived in the Williamsburg area for a large part of my life, first in high school when my parents moved our family here, then I returned in my early 30s. The opportunity to move back to Williamsburg arose after completing my degree in Social Work at CNU. I did social work for a while then went to work for an independently owned bookstore which I managed the last 4 years it was in operation. When the store closed in December of 2010, I was officially laid off, and having not done social work in a while, the best opportunity to get work was in retail. However, I found myself working two or three jobs at a time in order pay my bills. Eventually, after robbing Peter to pay Paul for two and a half years, I fell behind on my rent. Although a good tenant, I was forced to tell my landlord I could not catch up, and there were no programs to provide assistance available through the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. I then went to Richmond, the closest large city, to try to access services.
I utilized the city shelter and remained on the street for four months, while trying to maintain my health and well-being. I realized as the year ended that I was making little headway. Everything about being homeless seems to be an uphill battle, from inconsistent housing, to transportation, hygiene, food and money – not to mention the emotional and mental stress. Eventually, I contacted some friends in Williamsburg who had offered to let me stay with them temporarily. I made plans to return on the bus the next evening and, unbeknownst to me, my friend had called a staff member at her church to find out if she knew of any resources that could help me when I got back to Williamsburg. She recommended the United Way.
I soon learned that the United Way was in need of someone to work as a house manager for a re-entry house. The Re-Entry Program serves a dual purpose. Primarily, the program serves individuals re-entering the community after serving time in jail. Secondarily, as a house manager I would be given a salary for my work and a fully furnished home with room and board provided, which I could have not previously provided for myself. In one motion, I have been offered a solution to both of my obstacles to success: homelessness and unemployment.
I am very grateful for this program and for what it has done to turn around my life. The idea of choosing homeless (or near homeless) people as house managers is such a great idea because the number of people served is maximized, and my experience puts me in a unique position to empathize with the residents. This opportunity has given me many things – financial recovery, a chance to work and be productive, safety and security. I am very thankful for this program; it has the potential to help many people and serve as a model for other localities during a time when so many people are in need. Thank you so much to the United Way of Greater Williamsburg!
- Re-Entry House Manager
CRC Success Story
Not long after I started working for United Way of Greater Williamsburg (UWGW), I attended an agency fair to raise awareness of services in the community like UWGW and the Community Resource Center (CRC). It was here I had an encounter with a young lady whom I will never forget. She approached me and told me that she was familiar with the CRC because they had once assisted her. Being new to UWGW, I had not yet met anyone that had received assistance from us and I was eager to know more.
She went on to tell me her story. She had been in an abusive relationship; one night, she had enough and left. She was living in her car with only a bag of clothes and a couple hundred dollars. She found an apartment to move into, but she didn’t have money for a deposit. She went to the CRC for help and they assisted her with the funds.
As we talked, I was astonished that the strong, confident woman before me was homeless at one point. “How long ago was that?” I asked, expecting her to say a couple of years. I was shocked when she said everything took place about eight months ago. She was so grateful for the CRC’s help, and I am proud to be part of something that has such a huge impact on our residents and community. This is but one success story of thousands, thanks to the CRC.
- Katie Schubert
Relationship Manager, Campaign and Marketing