FaDSS: Alone With Five Kids

“Hello, my name is Erica. I was going through a divorce, in Texas, and became a single mom of five, pretty much overnight. After nine months of hopping around I came to Iowa, in 2009.”

Erica and her kids live 45 days in a women’s shelter. During her stay Erica obtained work, and eventually a home for her family.

“We were in our own place, it was a rental, but we had our own house. It wasn’t an apartment, it was a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house. I remember my daughter oldest, she was 8 at the time, she got on the floor and rolled from one end of the living room all the way to the other and she was like, ‘there’s so much room!’”

Soon after arriving in Iowa, Erica learned about the Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS) program. Eric was on FIP at the time and participating in Promise Jobs so she was able to participate in the FaDSS program as well.

“The FaDSS program, did seem promising. I had a worker who came to my house, and there was relationship building, goal setting, and kind of getting at the heart of what are your barriers that are preventing you from reaching your goals and how can you just start to knock them out?”

FaDSS was able to help Erica obtain self-sufficiency. Erica is quite grateful for the program.

“Because of them I can provide for my family.”

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