A Stepping Stone to Something Better

by David Levine, President/CEO

The mother of two  Carla White moved into our housing program in July of 2012.  Because of her son’s chronic illness, the family lived “on the edge” and risked becoming homeless — once again.

While living in GSH housing, Ms. White attended budgeting courses and took the online FDIC-sponsored Money Smart courses. She also passed an exam to secure a  higher-level security clearance.

Plus, Ms. White took online courses with more specific security content, namely in “Antiterrorism” and “Threat Awareness.” She completed these courses in order to bolster the level of her security clearance. GSH paid for both courses. We knew that by fulfilling the courses, and upgrading her security clearance, Ms. White and her family would reach a whole new level of sufficiency and greater financial resources.

It paid off. Last month, Ms. White was offered a position at a technology firm located at Fort Belvoir. Ms. White is earning three times what she had earned before. Given the jump in her pay, Ms. White no longer needs to work a second part-time job.

Ms. White has said she is very appreciative of GSH. Motivated and ambitious, Ms. White really saw GSH as a stepping stone to reaching a stable level of prosperity. In the end, it all happened because GSH was there for her and her children.