For 90% of the young parents in Community Youth Services E.P.I.C. program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is their only source of income. It comes to approximately $420 a month. “Some don’t even have that,” says Case Manager Julie Wilson. “After they pay rent, phone bill, and groceries, the money is gone.”
Wilson helps young adults who are pregnant or already parenting navigate the social services system while establishing and working toward goals. In many cases, that includes breaking the cycle of generational poverty.
“When they live with such a restricted income all the time, it’s not very often that they get to have nice things for their home, themselves, and their children,” she says. “During the holidays, they may be on a waiting list to get two or three random things out of a garbage sack. They have backgrounds where they don’t think they can provide, and celebrations are a really important thing that they want to establish with their families.”
This year the E.P.I.C. program will be the recipient at United Way of Thurston County’s Women’s Leadership Council Shelter Shower, an annual event that supports specific organizations that empower women and girls. Donations from this year’s event will ease that burden, allowing them to focus on something positive. “Knowing that they have their diapers covered for the next month means they can afford to get something new for their children. They have a little extra cushion and don’t have to be worried about the holidays,” says Wilson.
All of the parents she works with are enrolled in the Young Adult Housing Program. Once a month they meet with Wilson and write down goals that they’re working toward. “Each person comes in with different things they’re trying to achieve within the program,” she says. “For some it’s finishing high school or getting their G.E.D. For others, it’s getting a job.”
Some have no idea what they want to do and need help discovering what their strengths are. “We want them to understand a pathway to supporting their family, even if it’s five years out,” says Wilson. “What’s it going to take to get that goal met? We help them develop an employment and career goal while developing their natural strengths.”
Recently, two of the program’s participants received full two-year tuition waiver scholarships to South Puget Sound Community College based on their tenacity and drive, says Wilson. One young woman had always wanted to be a welder. Following in the footsteps of her grandfather, a rail worker, she began train hopping across the United States – and along the way discovered that she was pregnant. Returning to Olympia, she enrolled in both the housing program and the YWCA’s Economic Empowerment Program.
“In the meantime, we continued to support her with work appropriate clothing and transportation for her daughter,” says Wilson. “She got trained to do bookkeeping for non-profits in the community and started school this fall. We secured a work study appointment for her in the welding department and next semester she’ll start taking only welding classes.”
Her story is one of many small triumphs, but the process can be grueling, even with support. Another young mother is currently in the process of deciding whether to ride her bike for two hours to get to work on time or start her job search all over again. “It’s quite a process to make it work,” says Wilson. “Setbacks tend to hit them hard. If they need something like a new diaper bag or stroller bag, it ends up being a major barrier.”
The Shelter Shower will help with items that many take for granted. “Most of our programs take donations from the community, but these parents may not have pots or pans or even simple things like board games,” says Wilson. “The first step in breaking the cycle of poverty is changing that norm.”
The Shelter Shower will be held on Wednesday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room. Tickets cost $50 and can be purchased here.
To donate an item or items to the Shelter Shower, click here to learn about what’s on the E.P.I.C. Program’s Wish List in a condensed format. A full version of the Wish List can be seen here.
