All too often, we hear nightmarish stories about how someone has taken advantage of the system. From the crooked politician who sets up his own "non-profit" to support himself and lavish lifestyle to the charity jar stolen at a local establishment, the stories of good intentions gone bad seem to abound.  Sometimes I think that the negative in the world sells more papers than the positive and that is why we hear more of these kinds of stories than ones of success and hope. 

 

Well, I am here to tell you that good does exist in the world!  Two weeks ago, we welcomed Marlene and her daughter into the Pottstown community to a large crowd and many caring people that helped her along the way. Marlene is a product of "the system" or as we in the business like to call it - the continuum of care.  A domestic violence victim, Marlene found herself moving into Laurel House a couple of years ago. Laurel House is a respite for women transitioning out of domestic abuse situations. It is a short-term haven that provides assistance while they get back on their feet.  After living at Laurel House for a month, Marlene stayed at the Salvation Army for about two weeks while a placement with Community Housing Services opened up.  Marlene and her daughter lived in transitional housing for a time, all the while working with a case manager who helped her identify her goals and aspirations for herself and her daughter.  Through the manager, she learned about Habitat and after a time she was able to apply for the program. 

 

Marlene was paired with a long-time volunteer sponsor who helped her through the process of budgeting, credit management and homeownership.  She also helped Marlene obtain her GED last summer through a YWCA program.  The result is that she now has a good, permanent, decent paying job. 

 

Habitat handed over keys to Marlene earlier this month and she will start paying her no interest, no profit mortgage to Habitat and we in turn will use those funds to help more families like Marlene. Marlene is not stopping there - by moving successfully through each program and on to the next step, Marlene has gained confidence in the knowledge that she can achieve anything.  She is now taking that new-found confidence to the next level by considering enrolling in some college level courses.  Just think, all of this in two short years!  

 

So, the next time you hear of a horror story involving a non-profit or charitable dollars, I challenge you to think of people like Marlene, using the continuum of care for a better life for themselves and their children.