Katrina is the sole provider for her three children. As a single mother receiving no child support, she works two jobs to make ends meet. When businesses began closing their doors as a result of the coronavirus crisis, Katrina was laid off from both jobs. This left her with no source of income and three children depending on her.

When she called the Coronavirus Response Hotline, her voice was shaky as she held back tears. While Katrina was used to living paycheck-to-paycheck, she’d never before worried about being able to feed her children. Soon after the layoffs, Katrina was able to set up deferred payment plans for several of her bills — however when she returns to work she will have to pay these deferments in addition to her recurring monthly payments. The unemployment checks she is receiving each week help, but they do not come close to providing the full support her family needs.

Not only was her United Way case manager able to connect her with several resources to address her immediate food insecurities, but Katrina was also identified as an ideal participant for United Way’s mobility mentoring-inspired program: Aspire. In this program, Katrina will work one-on-one with a coach at a United Way partner agency to help her work towards becoming self-sufficient.

Katrina expressed her sincere gratitude to her case manager for the assistance she received and looks forward to a brighter future for her family thanks to the Aspire program. As a token of her appreciation, she ended the call with her case manager by seeking volunteer opportunities so that she may utilize the time she has to help others experiencing need.