From a Hotel Room to a Stable Career: Helping a Mom Move Forward

Erika and her children were living in a hotel in Southern Maine, and she wanted a job that could support her family and help her build financial security.

She had grown up in her grandmother's daycare center and had always wanted to work with children, but, like many talented educators, she had run into barriers that made it hard to advance in the field.

Then she learned about United Way of Southern Maine's Early Childhood Education Workforce program and signed up right away. The program connects aspiring educators to the training they need and helps clear the practical hurdles in the way, with transportation, support, and translation services.

Over eight months, Erika built her skills caring for babies and young children, trained in first aid, and learned the basics of starting her own business.

When she finished, she was ready to look for work. United Way put her in touch with Youth and Family Outreach (YFO), a community partner.

There were no openings at the time, but YFO invited her in for a practice interview and saw right away what she could offer. Erika was hired on the spot.

“Erika brings a calm, thoughtful approach to working with both children and adults," said Camelia Babson-Haley, executive director at YFO. "She is bright and brings a cheery disposition to a busy job every day.”

“For me, it is magnificent when we take care of children,” says Erika.

Erika's family found their footing, but they started where a lot of families in Southern Maine are right now, without a stable place to live. For too many people here, housing security is out of reach. 37% of households in the region cannot afford stable housing or are one emergency away from losing it.

We're trying to prevent people from entering that shelter system and keep them in a safe place.”

That is the problem that the United Way of Southern Maine's Housing Crisis Response Fund was built to address.

“When people lose their housing, when they're evicted or when they enter the shelter system, that is a higher cost for the community,” said Nakesha Warren, homeless service response hub coordinator at United Way of Southern Maine.

“It's traumatic for the people that it happens to. So, this is really preventative. We're trying to prevent people from entering that shelter system and keep them in a safe place.”

The fund is less a single program than a way of working.

“It's not a program, it's an approach,” Nakesha said. “It's looking at the great work happening in our community and how we can amplify it.”

For donors, it’s “a pathway for people to put their dollars to keeping Mainers in housing.”

The fund supports both immediate needs and longer-term solutions, and the decisions are guided by data.

So far, it has helped 376 families move from homelessness into housing, helped 2,438 families access or hold on to stable housing, and helped 597 older adults stay in their homes with supportive services.

The work follows three strategies: preventing homelessness before it starts so families avoid losing housing in the first place, meeting urgent needs like food and health services, and protecting the people most at risk, including older adults, children, and survivors of domestic abuse.

As Nakesha put it, “We were looking at the data to see where we can have the most impact and spend our funds more efficiently. That's keeping people from losing their housing initially.”

United Way of Southern Maine helps working families thrive, and stable housing and meaningful work are part of the same picture. A steady place to live makes it possible to train for and hold a good job, and a good job is one of the surest ways a family keeps that housing.

For Erika's children, the two together are what matter most: a parent with a career she values and a home they can count on, the kind of foundation that makes a more thriving future possible.