When Kamaria Appleton walked into the Woodlawn Resource Center (WRC) for the first time, the single mother of three and third-generation resident of Section 8 housing wanted to enroll in a training program to boost her income as a part-time care giver. She wanted to get out from under thousands of dollars of debt after a shady vocational training program lured her in with false job-placement rates, then stuck her with predatory loan rates.
Kamaria was introduced to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s Bridges to Opportunities Initiative, a WRC program offering comprehensive real-world training in skills local employers need most. The program lets participants enhance their job hunting, communications, math, and financial services skills, while offering unique opportunities to train at a local neighborhood organization or community college.
She also received financial coaching from the WRC and developed a budget for her household expenses and set goals for saving money. Eventually, Kamaria was able to retire her student loan debt and get her finances back on track.
She was able to get a job and look forward to her next goal which was to further her education focused on social work at the Kennedy-King College. She has also joined two honors societies - Phi Theta Kappa and National Society of Leadership. She will be graduating from the college this semester and was accepted into Northeastern Illinois University to start a dual-Master’s program in social work in the fall.
POAH is CORES certified, recognizing a robust commitment, capacity, and competency in providing resident services in affordable housing communities.