Lacricha Warren, wife and mother of three children, resides in Southeast Washington, D.C. In 2016, the unexpected happened; Warren received news that she had been laid off from her position as a supervisor at Greyhound.
With her oldest daughter headed to college and her two, younger boys in school, she faced the reality of adjusting to a single-income household. Daunted by the stress of providing for a family of five, she came to LIFT in early 2018 for support and guidance to help her family transition to a single, limited household. Lacricha feared the looming responsibility of leading a family sustained by child support payments, public assistance and a single salary.
Soon after, with LIFT’s resources, tools and encouragement, she began to get her family back on track. Years prior, Lacricha nearly completed a certification as a Professional Medical Coder. She stressed her dedication to her family’s well-being and set three attainable goals to accomplish once she graduated from LIFT: finishing her medical coding certification, saving money and becoming a homeowner.
She began by pursuing her medical coding certification. She feared being unable to both pursue her certification and work a part-time job. But, LIFT acted as a support system to help Lacricha and her family achieve financial security while also fulfilling her dream of completing her certification.
During her first meeting with her LIFT coach, Lacricha reflected upon how her and her husband could foster a better savings plan, since her income supplemented the cost of bills and other family expenses. Lacricha found herself in an even more financially strenuous position with a looming college tuition bill, housing insecurity and one less paycheck.
With LIFT’s course plan in effect, Lacricha set out to achieve her goals. First and foremost, she had to create a savings plan. She began to set aside $5 a week to aid her family in building better money habits and financial support. Today, Lacricha has saved over $60 in her credit union account and joined a money matters group at her church. With the help of LIFT’s saving tool, the Saverlife Program, that $60 will be matched after six months.
In taking these small steps, Lacricha is ensuring a better future for herself and her family. The goals she set for herself will form a foundation of financial security and confidence in using the emotional and social resources LIFT provides for her.
These accomplishments may seem small, but LIFT couldn’t be prouder of Lacricha’s progress. In a word, Lacricha is reaching for stability – a basic tenet of a healthy family and something that LIFT empowers parents to work toward. Breaking habits and embracing change are never easy, but Lacricha’s strong work ethic has made a better financial future for her family possible. We are so grateful for this opportunity to play a part in Lacricha’s growth and in the foundation of well-being and security she is building for her children.
This blog post was drafter by Courtney Marsh and Sydney Jordan, 2018 summer interns at LIFT’s national office. It was edited and published by Danielle Korzhenyak, 2018 fall communications intern.