Willa

Willa is a mother of two daughters, both of whom have high medical needs so Willa doesn’t trust others to provide childcare. She tells us about times her diabetic daughter has gone into diabetic shock while under someone else’s care. So Willa quit her job and now stays home with the girls. They live in a house with nine other people relying on her husband’s income and food stamps. At the start of the program, she tells us stress was a 9/10. “I initially started receiving payments—I don't remember exactly when the start date was. It was right after my father had passed away. Then that following December, after my father had passed in 2020, my little brother was in a fatal car accident, and him and another driver were pronounced dead on the scene. I then ended up having to pay for his funeral expenses. It was really rough. The last couple years have been really hard.”

When she first learned of the $1,000 her primary goal was to “catch up on bills, so that we could eventually move”. By the end of the program she had achieved her goal. “We were able to catch up on all of our existing bills, and we were able to move. We were able to move, and we currently live in a three-bedroom townhouse. Each of our girls have their own rooms. It's just us, and we have our own space, so it's very nice.” Willa feels without the money they would not be in as nice of a place as they are now, with a new vehicle, and reduced stress.