lives changed: Maria

Making strides toward a future of possibility

Maria

The challenges I faced were to get enough money to pay the rent, to buy the groceries, to buy some of the things that my children really like.

For many low-income families, trying to make ends meet is a daily struggle. From buying groceries and children’s clothing to paying rent, it can feel impossible to stay debt-free, let alone save for the future.

These worries are all too familiar to Maria, a 24-year-old single mother of three young children.

“The challenges I faced were to get enough money to pay the rent, to buy the groceries, to buy some of the things that my children really like,” Maria explains. “I didn’t know much about how to handle my money.”

A recent graduate of a community service worker program and looking for work, Maria struggled not knowing where to turn to understand and manage her finances. Then she was introduced to a series of Financial Literacy workshops offered by the Jane-Finch Community Centre located inside her high-rise building.

Developed by United Way, TD Bank Group and other key partners, the workshops are part of a larger strategy aimed at helping people move from a life of poverty to one full of possibility. Professional volunteers from the financial sector facilitate workshops but also offer a ‘train-the-trainer’ program to United Way agencies. Like the Jane-Finch Community Centre, agencies across the city are beginning to offer the workshops in their communities, giving low-income individuals and families strong financial skills so they can secure a better future.

For Maria, the experience has been life-altering. After attending a few sessions, she now has a firm grasp of how to balance a budget, pay her bills on time and maintain a good credit rating.

“I have extra money from learning how to live on a budget,” says Maria. “I’ll have some money to start out better for my children’s post-secondary schooling and I now know the benefit of putting aside money for the future.”

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