Waco family overcomes challenges with help from MCH Family Outreach

Last year, Tina began to experience medical issues that caused her to be in and out of work. With her income becoming inconsistent, the mother of 11-year-old Jaleigh began to worry as she fell behind on bills. With rent coming up, she turned to a local church for help and was referred to MCH Family Outreach.

Tina and Jaleigh were connected with Waco case manager Ana Chatham in December 2016 to participate in the Family Solutions program. Through the program, families meet weekly with a case manager for three months to assess their needs, determine goals and develop a plan to meet those goals. Tina and Chatham talked about her financial and family needs and came up with strategies to get her back on her feet.

“Getting to talk to somebody about my issues that wasn’t biased, just having somebody to listen helped,” Tina said. “She offered encouragement and gave us tips on what to do.”

Chatham helped Tina get connected to local nonprofits in the area to help her with food and save some money. She also met with a financial coach who helped Tina develop a budget. Tina was working with a local agency to become a home owner when her ailing aunt passed away and left her home to Tina and Jaleigh. She took over the mortgage payments and the pair was able to move into their new home.

Their case was closed about a month earlier than usual due to Tina’s success. Tina’s health is improving and she was able to return to work in September.

“I had to learn because I’m a very prideful person that if you can just let your pride down a little bit and be open to the program, it is very resourceful,” Tina said. “If you need help, it’s available. As long as you are using it to help you progress and not just get there and get comfortable.”

   

Chatham said that she enjoyed working with Tina and Jaleigh and said the mother and daughter have a great relationship.

“They are as sweet as can be,” Chatham said. “They were a joy to get to know and they are full of life. Ms. Tina is hard-working and health issues is just not something you can control. We were happy to step in and help and provide assistance for that that time period so she could get back on her feet. And she was able to do that.”