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MEET TREVOR
SWhen Trevor’s girlfriend had unexpected surgery, the stress of managing their financials began to weigh on them. The medical bills started racking up, and they found themselves falling behind on the essentials, like rent and car payments.
Soon after, they faced another life-altering challenge – Trevor lost his job.
Now both were unemployed, the bills were racking up and the stress of not knowing where to turn for help was negatively impacting his mental health.
Giving Grace
Their landlord understood what they were up against and didn’t hesitate to offer them grace, connecting them with local resources in hopes that help was available. In addition to local churches, their landlord told them about Home to Stay, a United Way partner agency with a mission of helping residents in need of stable housing.
Although they didn’t qualify for help through that program, they were connected with 211 and learned about the LIFT (Leveraging Income for Tomorrow).
A Hand Up During a Hard Time
Trevor didn’t hesitate to pick up the phone to call 211.
“I wasn’t sure if we would receive the help we needed but I thought the worst they could tell me is no, and that’s no better or worse than the situation we were in. It was such a relief when the answer was ‘we can help’.
Through the LIFT program, they received rental assistance to cover the amount they were behind. Because of this help, they were able to stay in their rental, make their car payment on time and stay up to date on the costly medical bills.
“If someone is in need of help, I’d tell them to pick up the phone and make the call – you never know what resources are out there. I didn’t know about LIFT until I connected with Home to Stay, and without the help from that program, we would be falling even further behind and I’m not sure how we would have ever recovered. Now, we’re caught up and able to have so much relief while I continue to look for a new job and my boyfriend recovers from surgery. The help from this program was truly life changing and we’re so grateful.”
