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LaTarsha entered the Family Stabilization Program in 2010. She is a single mom with six children; five of whom live with her and she shares custody of the other. Her oldest son is a disabled adult and requires round the clock supervision. A daughter just turned 18, will graduate in this spring and is preparing to move out of her mother’s home.

LaTarsha is extremely self-reliant and an excellent self-advocate, and staff anticipates she will graduate this year. The biggest contributor to the family achieving self-sufficiency was LaTarsha being hired by Personal Best under a waiver through Medicaid that pays for her to take care of her disabled adult son.

The increased income put her over the threshold for eligibility in the program, so she now will have a six-month probationary period, and if she can successfully maintain income during that period, she will graduate – a scary prospect since the family will no longer have assistance in paying their rent and will have to maintain housing on their own.

Through her program participation, LaTarsha’s case manager has provided support and reassurance. She has helped her with budgeting and developing strategies to help her be more at ease leaving the program.

One of her challenges she faces is that the amount of money she receives for her services can vary based on the number of hours the grant can pay for on any given month. So this will be a bit of a balancing act for the family as the oldest daughter works to move out as well.

LaTarsha fears that anything that affects her income may push her back into the program, so case management has been instrumental in providing the emotional support she needs to transition to self-sufficiency.

Her case manager has worked hard to provide community resources that help LaTarsha, and will continue to do this as needed. For the future, the family is working to repair its credit so that it can buy a home in Fairdale and provide for additional education for the children.