Rosie wanted a strong start for her newborn daughter and stability for her whole family. Thanks to you, Rosie found support at every step.
You helped Rosie give her daughter a thriving foundation, and kept her family safely housed during a difficult time.
Rosie reflects on her introduction to Community Action while patiently holding her wiggling two-year-old. At the time, she had just given birth to her daughter, Leslie, the youngest of four children and now an active toddler.
Hospital staff told Rosie about Community Action’s Healthy Families program, a nationally accredited program that promotes child well-being by helping parents build nurturing relationships with their children through the first five years. With Leslie’s arrival at a time when childcare costs commonly outpace working wages, Rosie and her husband knew life would look much different than it had when their other kids were born.
Rosie and her husband, a painter by trade, had decided Rosie would care for Leslie full-time, though she had returned to work after having her other children. For 17 years, Rosie had worked in the restaurant industry, at a restaurant and a bakery. And in staying in those jobs long-term, had found stability and community. Her feelings about leaving were complicated.
“I could probably work, but then daycare is so expensive that I'm going to work to pay off daycare,” says Rosie. “So I just stay home and take care of her, and try to prepare her for school as well.”
Soon after Rosie brought Leslie home from the hospital, she met her Community Action Family Support Specialist, Jo. The two have grown close during Jo’s regular visits, at a time that is often so isolating for parents and even more so for Rosie as an immigrant without a circle of support nearby. “It's been nice having Jo come over and talking to her, knowing that people do care for you and do notice what you need,” says Rosie.
Through the Healthy Families program, Jo has shared information about Leslie’s developmental milestones along with educational activities to help her grow. Though she had three other children before Leslie, this was Rosie’s first time receiving this sort of parenting support, and it’s been transformative.
“I like to go out and do things with them, but now that my husband's the only one that works, we are kind of limited to things that we can do,” Rosie says. Jo has connected the family to free and low-cost events where they can meet other parents and children, and also to key resources like diapers, clothing, and shoes for Leslie.
For Rosie, Community Action has been a reminder that she’s not alone, that people genuinely want to help. “Some people are afraid, or maybe they're embarrassed to ask for help. But now that I'm in the program, I know I'm not the only one who struggles,” she says.
Like so many families, Rosie and her husband have worked hard in hopes of doing better for their children. And often, that hard work simply isn't enough when systemic challenges stand in the way.
Because Rosie’s husband works as a painter, the work is seasonal, and income is unsteady. When the family fell behind on rent, they received an eviction notice. Rosie turned to Jo.
Jo helped Rosie apply for Community Action’s Emergency Rent Assistance program to stay safely housed, and also connected them with Community Action’s Utility Assistance program to bring down their energy bill. It's hard to overstate what that kind of stability means when you're caring for three young children and a notice on the door can threaten the one place you’re supposed to feel safe.
“As an immigrant family, sometimes we’re afraid, or we think that these services are not for us. But this program does help a lot of us. I feel safe contacting either Community Action or Jo because I know they’re going to guide me, or at least point me in the direction I should go,” Rosie says. “If they have the funds to help you, they will help you. They’re not going to send you away because of your status.”
Over these past couple of years, Jo and Rosie have worked together the way a community does, with everyone looking out for each other.
“Having Jo and Community Action’s help was amazing. And it really helped us not struggle,” Rosie says, knowing that even when assistance may not be available in the moment, Community Action will help her figure something out. “Everyone who helps and supports the program, please keep helping them with the donations, because it does help a lot of people, and it does make a lot of difference in our lives.”
As Rosie shares her story, her husband leaves for work, and a grandfather wanders in. Leslie stays in mom’s lap, ever busy, while the older children scatter to their rooms in the home they once almost lost to eviction.
It’s been two years since Rosie met Jo and first started working with Community Action. The passing of time is seen in her once-newborn. Now, Leslie is nearly ready for Head Start, a comprehensive early learning program Rosie has already applied for with Jo’s help, as she does everything she can to create a future of opportunity for her family.
Through Healthy Families, Rosie has found parenting support and a kind of camaraderie in raising Leslie, one she hopes to have again when she returns to work someday soon.