Meet Carletta:
A success story of HOPE Helps
In December, the resource department met a woman who exemplified how a financial crisis can occur within a matter of moments.
Carletta is a single mother who was employed full time and was a distinguished employee with multiple awards for her work ethic during the 8 years at her company. When she came to HOPE, she was 7 months pregnant with her second child.
After Thanksgiving, Carletta's car broke down causing her to pay an unexpected $400. With bills to pay and a child to provide for, the she had no choice, but to rent a car while hers was in the shop, adding an additional unexpected expense. Shortly after receiving her car back, it was repossessed. In order to gather enough funds to retrieve it, the client pawned off precious jewelry belonging to her and her young daughter.
To make matters worse, she received an eviction notice stating that she had 14 days to come up with her rent. The client said,
"I felt like I was stuck in a hole with no rope to help me get out. I had never been in a situation like this before."
It was then that she began seeking help from outside resources to obtain rental assistance. Upon being turned down by another local agency due to lack of funds for the month, she was directed to seek assistance from the HOPE Helps Resource Center.
"The morning that I arrived the store was still closed. I sat in my car praying for God to open a doorway to help me get back on my feet. It was Christmas time, I had a young child and I was 7 months pregnant. I never expected anything like this to happen to me."
It was at HOPE that she found a light at the end of the tunnel. Today, Carletta is enjoying spending time with her children while she is on maternity leave. She was very eager to share her testimony of the blessing that HOPE was to her. Carletta said,
"without HOPE my children and I would be out on the street, HOPE is a true blessing to the community."
