Pathway of Hope Program Works With 100th Family
When you think of the future what do you see? For many families being served by The Salvation Army the answer to this question isn’t hopeful. Families seeking assistance with food, clothing and other basic needs are often stuck in a cycle of crisis and vulnerability that impacts not just themselves but their children. For the past two years The Salvation Army in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan has been addressing this cycle head on through the implementation of Pathway of Hope, an approach to providing targeted case management services to families with a desire to take action to break this cycle and increase their stability. This approach emphasizes quality over quantity and recently the 100th Pathway of Hope Family was enrolled in Wisconsin & Upper Michigan. Families that successfully complete participation in Pathway of Hope have experience increased stability, reduced barriers to sufficiency, increased levels of hope and a reduced need for emergency and supportive services.
Angie’s* family is just one of the 100 families who have been impacted by Pathway of Hope. She and her husband went to their local Salvation Army location seeking assistance with rent and utility payments. They were bogged down with past due bills and while they desired to get out from under the debt didn’t know how or where to start and lacked a support system. When Pathway of Hope was shared with them they quickly took advantage of the opportunity and got to work with their case manager to develop their action plan. Soon, they started to see results which fueled their desire to keep working toward their larger goals. First, Angie secured employment. Then, they were provided with budgeting classes and started to feel more in control of their finances and eventually paid off their debt. Then they found out Angie was pregnant but instead of risking falling back into crisis they used the skills they developed to be proactive and began saving so they’d have adequate funds for Angie’s maternity leave. At a recent follow up appointment, Angie shared with her case manager that she felt 1,000 pounds lighter than she did before Pathway of Hope.
*Name Has Been Changed