If you’re living paycheck to paycheck, caring for loved ones, and trying to keep everything together, you’re painfully aware that you’re one injury or missed paycheck away from not being able to pay your rent.
But we’re here to tell you that it’s possible to get to a more stable place, and you don’t have to carry your burdens alone.
At RaiseUp Families, we believe that we should live in a world where no family experiences homelessness and every family has an opportunity for a brighter future. Our programs are designed to help families reach lasting financial stability.
But you’re probably wondering, do the programs actually work?
Today, we’ll answer that question by highlighting real-life stories of women who have turned their lives around through our programs.
The stories we will highlight today are all stories of families who completed our HandUp program.
Our Handup Program is a nine-month program designed to address your immediate and long-term needs so you can be self-sufficient and never fear homelessness again.
The program includes:
At RaiseUp, we know it’s impossible to make healthy long-term decisions when consumed with day-to-day issues. That’s why we offer financial assistance as part of the program—so you don’t have to worry about being evicted, and your children don’t have to worry about switching schools if you have to move.
With this underlying stability covered, along with the training and support groups we offer, you can focus on your long-term goals of finding a well-paying job and making wise financial decisions so you can become financially independent.
(HandUP is a gateway and participants of the Aftercare can only come from the HandUp program. it is a two-step 3 year program. PLease clarify this. It is not another program but rather part 2 of our three year program.)
Although our HandUp Program changes lives, we know your needs are unique and nuanced, and we want to support you! That’s why we also offer the following programs:
AfterCare Program
Our AfterCare Program is designed to offer two additional years of ongoing support for people who have completed our HandUp Program.
As you continue to retain employment and make wise, self-sufficient financial decisions, you’ll still have access to guidance and mentorship from our team and resources like counseling, financial classes, and support groups.
Connecting you with other resources
We understand that struggling families need a lot of support and help, but unfortunately, we’re not always equipped to offer a solution to your unique needs.
However, many nonprofits in the Houston area also work to help people, and we can offer you additional help by partnering with these organizations.
For example, let’s say that as you were working through our HandUp program and looking for a job, you landed an interview for a position you really wanted, but you didn’t have anything suitable to wear. In this situation, our partner Dress for Success helps you find the clothing and resources you needed to nail the interview and get the job!
Now that you understand the support we offer through our programs, let’s look at some success stories of remarkable women who have turned their lives around.
Damita found herself in a tough spot. As a single parent of a young son with autism, she experienced a huge setback when she found herself out of work. Struggling to pay rent, she searched desperately for another job, but her new job didn’t pay well enough to make ends meet.
On top of all that, Damita’s son was having behavioral issues at school because of his autism. The stress made Damita feel like she was suffocating—and there seemed to be no end in sight.
Then, Damita heard about RaisUp from her mother’s neighbor. She discovered that RaiseUp was designed to help support families like hers.
At first, Damita was skeptical. She could tell that the program would take a lot of commitment and hard work. Would she be able to do it? She was excited to try.
At RaiseUp, Damita found a program and a team dedicated to helping families in practical ways. The staff provided access to resources, including financial counseling and parenting classes.
But more importantly, RaiseUp provided Damita with a sense of community and support. “There are always people who can help you,” Damita says. “You just have to be willing to ask.”
Through this program, Damita finally felt a sense of, I got this. It’s going to be okay. She refused to let her struggles define her. Through RaiseUp, she found financial assistance, financial counseling, and a support system. But most importantly, she found hope.
Ultimately, Damita overcame challenges, budgeted and made smart financial decisions, managed her mental health, and provided a stable home for her son.
Kunisha was just trying to cover the basics in life—working her full-time job, being a mom to two humans and two dogs, and running a catering business—when several traumatic events threw her off course.
First, Kunisha lost her mom. As she was reeling from that grief, she got into a car accident while her daughter was with her. As Kunisha watched her daughter recover in the hospital from broken ribs, a cut liver, and other terrible injuries, she felt like she’d messed everything up.
When Kunisha turned to RaiseUp for help, she thought she only needed assistance with a bill or two. But now, she realizes she needed much more—a new structure, counseling, therapy, peer classes, business classes, and a new raise-up in life.
RaiseUp gave Kunisha the tools she needed to succeed in life, including help, assurance, guidance, therapy, budget counseling, accountability, and peer group classes. The therapy, in particular, was deeply helpful in working through the tough things she’d recently endured.
“I know where I’m going in life now,” says Kunisha. “I was lost, but now I’m found.”
Now, Kunisha finds that she’s grown mentally and physically, and her catering business has grown, too. She’s committed to becoming a major corporation business owner and giving back to RaiseUp families so they can help more people like her. “I want it all so I can give it all to those who need it,” she says.
Every year, we help women like Damita and Kunisha get to a more stable place in their families and careers so they don’t have to feel snowed under with stress and worry.
For example, Jaquaya is a recent widow who suffers from a heart condition that required her to find a more flexible career.
Erica found herself in a financial crisis when she had a car accident and no longer had transportation to work, causing her to lose her job.
Tenemaye is a single mom of two children and a survivor of intimate partner violence who recently moved to Houston and is in the process of getting a business degree.
These remarkable women have been through some tough times and are determined to do what it takes to take care of their families. Through RaiseUp, they’re getting the support they need to become successful, financially independent, and stable.
Reading these stories may remind you of the challenging circumstances you or a loved one are in. If that’s the case and you live in the Houston area, we’re here for you! Check out our programs and resources to see how we can help.
We’ve also written other helpful blog posts, including:
To support RaiseUp Families, you can donate on our website. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us!
Together, let’s work to help families achieve a brighter future for their children.
