Frank, originally from Brooklyn, moved to Arizona in 2022. He struggled to maintain housing after moving to Phoenix because he didn’t have the savings to pay application fees, a deposit and his first month’s rent. Although Frank had been employed with Dexcom for over a year, he rented a room, stayed in daily motels and ultimately sought emergency shelter. While in the shelter, Frank didn’t have the budgeting skills necessary to diligently save, nor the opportunity to make his own meals and keep his food cost down. What Frank needed was Workforce Villages.
Over the course of the 90-day program, he was able to save $5,000. Much of this knowledge on saving was learned through SJW’s financial education course, where we teach the importance of budgeting, managing your credit, and how to effectively save. Frank states that he learned the most from our food budgeting and meal prep class, where we teach how clients can keep their meal costs under $5. Frank’s transformation stands as proof that with a bit of education, support and opportunity, individuals like Frank can thrive.
Frank’s story isn’t unique, where he first fell into homelessness before discovering SJW’s Workforce Villages. However, SJW wants to catch situations like his before they join a waitlist for emergency shelter or sleep in their cars. Our preventative 90-day program creates a pathway to self-sufficiency for those in the Valley facing housing insecurity with quality employment at the core.
