Meet LaShawn and learn how one stop at a United Way of the Bluegrass WayPoint Center changed her life.
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United Way fights for the health, basic needs, education, and financial stability of every person in every community. We win when we LIVE UNITED. Our wins from 2023 include:
118,249
people served through our non-profit partners, WayPoint initiative, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program and 211
148,297
volunteer hours served by UWBG partners and direct volunteers
9,438
people served through educational advancement programs in schools and beyond
2,606
people served through our WayPoint Centers in Fayette and Bourbon Counties
22,957 kids served
2,100+ through the school-based Sweet Dreams Project
1,100+ through our spring break snack and book bag project
We Will Call Her LaShawn
LaShawn walked into our Black and Williams WayPoint Center and stated she had to talk with someone, or she was going to lose everything. Flustered, she apologized for arriving so late and explained she had to make sure her daughter had someone to watch her and had to get someone to drive her to the Center. We immediately affirmed her decision to come to the Center, practiced active listening and motivational interviewing and found common ground to build rapport.
As she opened up she disclosed that she had never been so low in her life and was in danger of losing her home, her car and possibly her job. She was worried about her daughter and how the stress at home was impacting her mental health and school performance. LaShawn also shared that she felt she may be depressed and was having panic attacks.
After allowing the client to express her feelings and ensuring her that we could help, we were able to complete a comprehensive needs assessment. Through the assessment, we learned the client needed a birth certificate and mental health services for herself and her child, mentorship for her child, substance use disorder treatment for her adult son and employment for her adult son. She also needed budgeting skills and financial crisis intervention for her mortgage, credit card usage and her automobile loan rate.
We provided applications and instructions for getting birth certificates, and she met with our community partner, Apprisen, for assistance with budgeting, understanding and improving her credit and education about her mortgage and debt-to-income ratio – all within the same day at our Center. Together, we called Exhilarating Inc for mentorship to teenage girls and they came and met with the client the same day at Waypoint and were able to enroll the client’s daughter in the program.
LaShawn was able to complete a mental health screening through community partner New Vista and scheduled appointments for her and her daughter with mental health providers. She then obtained a food box and through community partner Mobile Mission, completed an application for SNAP benefits to address food insecurity. We were able to get her son into substance use disorder outpatient treatment that same day with community partner New Beginnings, provided him with hygiene items and helped him complete his application for skills training with our community partner, Opportunities for Work and Learning (OWL).
We were able to address all of the family’s needs in one day while at WayPoint!
