"I dropped out of school in the 10th grade and have been struggling all my life. I raised three children basically on my own, and we moved from apartment to apartment living paycheck to paycheck. After we moved into subsidized housing, I lost my job and we accrued a large debt to housing. When we were forced to move out, my youngest son Matthew and I found ourselves at the YWCA Sojourner's Shelter for Homeless Women and Families in April of 2008. After three months, I secured a job as a cook's aid at CAMC Memorial Hospital and became eligible to move into the YWCA's transitional housing program - the YWCA Alicia McCormick Homes. Matthew and I have found new hope here as we continue down our journey to reclaim self-sufficiency. For the first time in my life, I have a full-time job with full benefits including health and life insurance. Matthew attends Capitol High School and I am enrolled in classes at Garnet Career Center to get my GED - an accomplishment that has allowed me to receive a promotion and a raise at my job. Case managers at YWCA McCormick have helped me learn how to budget my money and bills and I finally have a savings account. With partially subsidized rent and utilities, I am able to make monthly payments toward my housing debt and am on track to be debt-free in the next year. Thanks to the YWCA's programs and staff, my son and I have been blessed with the opportunity to move up and move on in life."