Our Impact

When Carmen and her two teenage children arrived in Houston from Detroit they moved into her cousin’s two-bedroom apartment. Her 14-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter were enrolled in nearby schools and Carmen started work at a grocery store to pay her cousin rent. Both her children were thriving in school and had made close friends when just seven months later Carmen’s cousin announced she was moving across town. It was March and Carmen feared that starting over at new schools late in the year would really set them back.

Determined not to pull her kids out of their schools, Carmen rented a motel room by the day until, when down to her last few dollars, she worried that one-way tickets back to Detroit were their only choice. Then one day her daughter’s assistant principal asked why she was so despondent. Carmen explained their situation and the assistant principal shared how RaiseUp Families might be able to help.

Within three days, Carmen was admitted into the program. RaiseUp Families helped her find an apartment close to the children’s schools and called on volunteers to help Carmen furnish the new apartment. RaiseUp Families also helped her look for better employment, took her to Dress for Success for a new suit, helped with her resume, and paid her rent for the first two months. Soon afterward, Carmen interviewed for a bank teller position and got the job! We are proud of the work Carmen did in order to provide a more stable home for her and her kids.

No one could ever accuse Veronica of not having enough love in her heart for everyone. In fact, it was Veronica’s love for her adult daughter and four grandchildren that put her financially behind.

“I was happy to help them with rent and some expenses when I was employed. When I lost my job, I felt like I had to choose between helping them or helping myself. I chose to pay their rent instead of my own.” An honest and straightforward woman, she wanted to explain to her apartment manager what was going on. Fortunately, her apartment manager referred her to RaiseUp Families.

“RaiseUp Families not only kept me in my home, they gave me encouragement. They believed in me before I believed in myself,” Veronica shared. “Denise always greeted me with a smile and told me over and over, “You can do it!””

Veronica’s two other children were both in high school when she entered our 9-Month Hand Up program, but her son was failing and close to dropping out. He saw how hard his mom was working in

our program in addition to working at her new job at Lowe’s as a cashier. Inspired, he went from failing out to graduating from Spring Woods High School in 2019. He is currently working on his Welding Certificate and has already purchased his first car. Veronica’s other daughter also graduated from Spring Woods High School in 2020 and is working as a Teacher’s Assistant while taking college classes to get a degree in education.

“RaiseUp Families gave me the tools to be a better parent and to be an inspiration to my kids. They gave my kids opportunities they never had, and likely never would have had, like going to a Rockets game with our Program Manager, Holly. Almost two years out of our 9-Month Hand Up program, her new goal is home ownership. “I’m saving, working on my credit, and should be able to buy a home in the next 12 months.” We could not be prouder of Veronica and her family!