Stephanie’s Success Story
“I never accounted for life happening,” she says. “That won’t happen to me, until it did.”
Stephanie had always been the kind of person who kept a steady job. A nurse and a single mom to her 14-year-old son, she never thought she would need help. Then, earlier this year, she lost her job in corrections. One month without work became two, then three.
Putting her pride aside, Stephanie applied for emergency benefits through DSS, which referred her to Triad Goodwill. She was honest with her Career Navigator: no savings, living paycheck to paycheck, and about to lose her apartment and her car. The first step her Navigator (also named Stephanie) wanted her to take was simple, “let’s get you employed first.”
Soon after, Stephanie landed a nursing position at Maple Grove, where she still works. But the hard times weren’t over. When her power was shut off over a past-due bill, her Career Navigator called around to Goodwill’s community partners to help. One local church paid her rent, and another sent payments straight to the electric company, leaving Stephanie with a credit.
Then came another blow: Stephanie lost her car just after starting work. Justine, from the Triad Goodwill team arranged rides through Uber’s transportation pilot program so she never missed a shift and connected her with Wheels4Hope to help her get the reliable vehicle she drives today. Triad Goodwill also helped with food assistance while Stephanie covered her rent, car payment, and the needs of her son.
Throughout this time with Triad Goodwill, Stephanie reflected on the care, time, and empathy the Career Center team shared with her;
“I didn’t feel like I was going to be looked at as a lazy person or somebody that just wants to milk the system,” she says. “I cried a lot of tears in that office.”
Today, Stephanie is about six months into her job and says life is great. She has spoken to the Triad Goodwill board and at the partner appreciation luncheon, and the connections she’s made there have helped her grow Moore House Living, the LLC she founded. It provides independent and shared housing for people returning from incarceration, veterans, and anyone who needs a place to stay.
“It’s more than a job,” she says. “I’ve made friends for life.” She now sends others to the Goodwill Career Center. “I say, go see them. They’ll point you in the right direction.”
Stephanie’s advice to anyone facing a similar struggle is to trust the process and ask for help.
“There are people and programs out here that genuinely want to help,” she says. “Everybody needs a little help.”