The Domino Effect

Debbie moved from San Francisco to Atlanta in July of 2019. When she arrived, she got a job working as a social worker through a temp agency for a few months and then secured a position with the Department of Family and Children Services that ultimately only lasted for three months. By the beginning of the year (2020), Debbie worked as a part-time Lyft driver. Although this was not the ideal job she was looking for, Debbie knew she had to do something to bring in income for her and her teenage son Bryon since she didn’t receive child support or any help from the father. On top of receiving low wages, Debbie also had a lack of budgeting knowledge, so when COVID-19 hit, she was left with nothing to help sustain her and her son.

Initially, Debbie reached out to her sister for help and was able to borrow $800 for living expenses. She finally received her stimulus check totaling $1600, but she had to pay her sister back which left her with just enough money to pay her past due rent for April. A few weeks later, Debbie’s unemployment checks of $200 began to arrive but that still wasn’t enough. She fell behind on her credit card bills, car loan payment, and insurance and was losing all hope of recovering from this difficult time.

That’s when Debbie reached out to St. Vincent de Paul Georgia to assist her in paying May’s rent. SVdP helped prevent Debbie and her son from becoming evicted and also connected them with other financial resources to assist with the next few months. The SVdP caseworkers also brought the family groceries to further alleviate the financial burdens they were experiencing. Debbie is continuing to look for a stable job and income and hopes to get her financial situation back on track soon. Without SVdP Georgia, this family does not know where they would be right now.