Starting a new school year can be nerve-racking for any kid, but it’s especially so when that big first day rolls around and finds you living in a homeless shelter. That’s the situation facing the nine school-aged children currently living at Twin Oaks, but thanks to one of their fellow residents, they can at least [...]
Laura escaped domestic violence in Texas, traveling north to live with a sibling in Madison. When that arrangement didn’t work out, she put her name in a lottery for a bed in a women’s shelter, but felt overwhelmed and didn’t stay. At one point, she was living in a storage shed with her friend and [...]
After owning two unreliable vehicles that broke down constantly, Darnell was paying to carpool and walking to and from work for more than two years. Prior to the Work-n-Wheels vehicle loan approval, Darnell, his wife Kissa, and their eight year old daughter would walk in the unpredictable Wisconsin weather get groceries, go to the doctor and [...]
Isaac began his participation in Community Action's Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program in 2011 in a Tourism apprenticeship program which provided him the skills to get a regular seasonal job in tourism. WIA also helped prepare him for college by providing him with college preparation classes. Upon graduation from Dodgeville High School in 2012, Isaac enrolled [...]
We recently scheduled an energy audit for an elderly couple living in a mobile home on a fixed income. The list of things we can fix in a mobile home has been dramatically decreased, but light bulbs are something we can always do. When our staff members explained this to the elderly woman over the [...]
Rakeem successfully completed the Community Action WIA In-School Youth Program in November of 2013. Rakeem received his high school diploma and went on to find gainful employment working for the School District of Janesville. In September 2015, Rakeem found himself unemployed and in need of help. Rakeem reached out to Community Action’s WIOA Out-of-School Youth program [...]
ANGI Energy Systems has supported Twin Oaks Shelter for the Homeless for the past four years. Every year employees "adopt" the shelter's residents at Christmas and try to fulfill their needs, wants and dreams. To give you the scope of the project, this year employees donated items like new tires, a windshield and a specialty [...]
Staff in Beloit Fresh Start believe everyone deserves a second chance at success. For Liliana, joining Fresh Start was just what she needed to graduate from high school. Liliana completed the rigorous interview process and was accepted into Fresh Start in August 2014. When she entered the program, she was quiet and soft-spoken. Up until [...]
When you join a gang in third grade, good life choices don’t often naturally follow. Jeovante Jones, originally of Chicago, knows that first hand. “People don’t want to be bad, but when you grow up in that environment, it’s like second nature,” he says. “They don’t know how to go about it, but they want [...]
The call comes in the middle of the night. Your daughter and your young grandchildren are in crisis. They need your help. You and your husband try to talk her through it, but it quickly becomes clear the best way to help her family is to be there in person. You pack up some belongings, [...]