Flourish: A Catalyst for Endurance

Hannah is a hardworking and resourceful 24-year-old mom of three. She spends her days working in a childcare facility caring for other people’s children.  Though she provides nurturing to her classroom, when her day is done, her life is anything but stable. Like 26% of the young women in our program, Hannah is in a physically, psychologically, and financially abusive relationship.  

The father of her children has not kept gainful employment over the past 6 years. Instead,  he has routinely forced Hannah to hand over her paycheck and has spent it how he sees fit, often leaving his family vulnerable to fees due to late or missed payments, and putting them at risk for utility service cutoffs or apartment eviction. Currently, their rent is 50% of Hannah’s income and she and her children are living below the Federal Poverty Guidelines.*

After years of abuse, Hannah walked into a SBS broken and in need of support.  Over the past several months of attending Revive nights, building community with other moms, and receiving therapy through our C.A.R.E case management and crisis response services, Hannah has made the decision to leave her abuser to provide herself and her children a life of safety and stability. But leaving isn’t easy financially.  

According to experts in Intimate Partner Violence, “Debt and poor credit due to financial control and exploitation restricts access to safe housing and can lead to homelessness.”** 

Without financial assistance for the first and last month’s rent at a new apartment and moving expenses, Hannah and her children will be unable to move and will remain tied to her abuser.

Investing in Flourish means Step By Step gets to stand in the gap for Hannah and her children to have a chance at a new life.

*https://aspe.hhs.gov/topics/poverty-economic-mobility/poverty-guidelines

**Gladys McLean and Sarah Gonzalez Bocinski. The Economic Cost of Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking.

Ariana, a bubbly 21-year-old mom of 2, is fast becoming a standout with leadership potential in our program. Currently, she works 2 jobs to provide for herself and her kids, and desires to set an example for them and her younger siblings by becoming financially independent.  

Setting and achieving SMART goals is a major part of our program.  Moms choose their goal, set their intentions, check in regularly with staff, and we are committed to helping her identify and overcome barriers to her goal. Last year, due to her dedication, she met her goal of saving enough money to purchase her first car! She wisely chose a safe older model within her price range.  

Though she has kept up with her car payments and insurance, recently she learned her car will need a significant repair. Ariana is unable to pay a mechanic for the repair needed to make her car safe and reliable. Without her car, she can’t make it to work on time or take her children to daycare, which could potentially lead to a loss of employment.  As a shift worker without benefits, she does not receive vacation pay when she misses work due to lack of transportation. Though it is the most immediate concern, Ariana losing her job is not the only factor. Many young families experience the compounding effects of poverty when facing financial hardship such as increased mental health strain (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation), pregnancy complications, inconsistency in parenting, self-blame, and ignoring the financial problems until they exacerbate. Studies show these conditions directly correlate to increased instances of child abuse and neglect.*

Investing in Flourish means Ariana won’t miss a beat.  She can repair her car and get to work avoiding significant financial hardships by having funds to cover this temporary gap.  Going forward, our team will advise her on how to start a rainy day fund as part of our follow-up and offer enrollment in our Step Into Freedom Financial Literacy program.

*Marcil LE, Campbell JI, Silva KE, Hughes D, Salim S, Nguyen HT, Kissler K, Hole MK, Michelson CD, Kistin CJ. Women's Experiences of the Effect of Financial Strain on Parenting and Mental Health. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2020 Nov;49(6):581-592. doi: 10.1016/j.jogn.2020.07.002. Epub 2020 Aug 19. PMID: 32822649; PMCID: PMC8114171.