A Young Family Looking to Get Back on Track

$1,500 Buys M’s Mother the Freedom to Get to Work

This family has been recommended by Project Hope.

At just 7 years old, M is no stranger to the harsh veracities of life. He watched his mother struggle with losing her job as a dental hygienist. He knows the sense of betrayal and confusion that anyone, no matter their age, feels when a father abandons the family. He has experienced the grim reality of living in a homeless shelter.

But M’s perspective has also made him witness to life’s simple joys—moving out of the shelter and into permanent housing. Seeing the smile on his mother’s face when he sets the table or eagerly carries his plate to the sink after dinner. The personal pride of excelling in school. His ever-growing love of cars and computers.

It has taken M’s mother some time to get her life back on track after all that she has been through, but she is determined to set a good example for her son. At the urging of Project Hope case workers, she recently became recertified as a dental hygienist and is doing her best to pick up right where she left off.

The only problem is that the housing they were assigned is in Mattapan. M’s mother is temping locally right now, but with no car and little in the way of public transportation, she is having trouble getting to interviews for more permanent positions. Even when Mom gets a job, holding onto it will be difficult without a way to get there. They have been diligently saving what they can out of her meager paychecks and have enough to cover gas, insurance and maintenance, just not a car.

Project Hope has helped them find a good deal on a car, but they still need to come up with $1,500 by July 30th to buy it. Can you help this young family move down the road to financial independence and stability?

Project Hope is a multi-service agency at the forefront of efforts in Boston to move families beyond homelessness and poverty. It provides low-income women with children with access to education, jobs, housing, and emergency services; fosters their personal transformation; and works for broader systems change.