Today we celebrate the success of Willie, who has recently accepted a new job offer. He is now managing his finances, covering housing and utilities needs, and is on his way toward self-sufficiency. But this wasn’t always the case.
In 2020, Willie was dealing with car issues and was on the verge of losing his home. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he had lost his job and owed back rent and energy bills.
Willie approached us determined to turn things around. While listening to his story, we learned that Willie was on FoodShare, which instantly qualified him for the FSET program. His FSET team helped him hone his job skills and search. They also developed a plan together to address the issues that he faced at home. Soon, Willie had resources like the WERA program, the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP), and LEAVEN working together to help.
Throughout everything, Willie was eager to listen and learn how to transform his circumstances. Willie says this support, “gave me confidence in my mobility… I was able to have a sense of balance and maintain my focus on my employment.”
This was hard work, but with assistance from these programs, it only took one week before Willie received a job offer from MadCity Windows & Baths. He says that “it’s great!” and that it means a lot to him to have this job, including catching up on his rent and energy bills. Plus, with a job offer in place, our transportation program WETAP was able to help fund his car repair.
Willie says his caseworkers inspire him: “Meri and Carri went above and beyond and gave me faith in people again.” Your story inspires us, too. Congratulations, Willie!
