Eviction Prevention

Regaining Self-Sufficiency After Financial Hardships

Hard work and self-sufficiency have always been something that Jim and Alicia prided themselves on. With Jim, Alicia, and their eldest son James working full-time, their three incomes combined were enough to keep the family of six afloat.

On one fateful afternoon, all of that changed. As James was on his way to work, he was side-swept by a speeding car, causing an accident that left him with a serious injury. Apart from his car being totaled, James broke his leg in several different places.

With James unable to work, Jim and Alicia took it upon themselves to take on more hours in order to make up for the lost income, but it wasn’t enough, the once self-sufficient family began to fall behind on all of their bills.

One evening, as the family was coming home, Jim noticed a note hanging from their front door. With a sudden pit in his stomach, Jim opened up the piece of paper to see that it was a warning notice for eviction. Seeing the fear and panic come over his children’s faces, Jim knew that it was finally time to ask for help.

Jim called his Director of Social Services, Audrey, to see if he could buy more time. Hearing of their dire circumstances, Audrey immediately sat with the couple to go over their finances and create a budgeting plan. Seeing the amount of back rent they owed and their struggle to stay afloat, Audrey also helped them fill out an application for rental assistance through LifeSTEPS’ eviction prevention program.

With the relief from the financial aid, Jim and his family took this situation as an opportunity to figure out a plan to get back to self-sufficiency. Following Audrey’s advice, Jim and Alicia began to attend classes on financial literacy where they learned new ways to budget.

The family was also able to start a savings account by sticking to the plan Audrey had created. Jim’s new goal was to be financially prepared to handle any future emergencies that could lead to debt. “Thank you for helping us, LifeSTEPS. We need more people like you in this community. We are eternally grateful,” says Jim.