Distraught and in tears, Cassidy walked into the 360 Communities Burnsville Family Resource Center searching for any kind of help. The single mother of three children had been struggling financially ever since losing her job eight months ago. Cassidy had searched for employment but was unable to land a job. She consequently lost her child care assistance.
Without work and affordable child care, she needed to stay home with the kids. She had relied on her unemployment until it ended in recent weeks. It wasn’t long before she began falling behind on bills and her utilities were disconnected. 360 Communities Financial Support Worker Sophia Bond met with Cassidy and listened to her story. She assessed her situation and all the barriers she was facing, and immediately started work on stabilizing her finances:
- Noting that Cassidy’s subsidized rent was higher than her income, Sophia
immediately contacted the county and faxed over her proof of income in order
to get her rent lowered. - Sophia contacted Xcel Energy to have them reconnect her power and
registered Cassidy with the Power On program so that her utility bill would be
more affordable. - She helped Cassidy apply for the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), the state’s assistance program that helps families with children meet their basic needs while helping parents move to financial stability through work. Sophia knew this would help her with assistance so she could regain her day care assistance while she looked for employment.She set her up for a food shelf appointment.
In just a couple of hours, Sophia was able to help stabilize Cassidy’s situation and with tangible supports and a plan for self-sufficiency. When Cassidy left 360 Communities, she had a smile on her face and hope that things will improve for her family. She also had some confidence that she now had a degree of control over her future as she continued her job search.
