Ms. Harlan’s Story
Poor people are lousy money managers. True or false?
We met Ms. Harlan on our first day back at the MetMin Dalewood Middle School satellite office. Ms. Harlan's girls are 12, 13 and 16. Ms. Harlan lost her job 2 months ago. She knew it was coming.
"I'm used to paying my bills on my own. It's really hard for me to ask for help, to be here today."
The downtown tourist site made some changes. Lots of folks lost their jobs. Ms. Harlan had been there almost 8 years.
Her new year's resolutions were to pay off her car and start working toward getting her GED. She paid off the car with her tax refund and started studying for (now) the HiSet test.
Her employer was generous, and she received a final check that reflected her years of service.
Now get this.
Ms. Harlan used that check to pre-pay 2 months' rent. She used the remainder of that generous last check to pay an additional $500 on her EPB bill.
Water, sewer and cable are included in her rent payment, so those utilities were taken care of for 2 months, too. Ms Harlan gave up her cell phone to save money. After 2 months of looking, tho, Ms. Harlan hasn't yet found that new job.
It was the Dalewood Parent Liaison staffer who talked straight with her: "Ms. Harlan, for the sake of those kids, suck up that pride and let MetMin help you. That's why they're here today."
It's what we've been doing for almost 40 years. When you've done all you can and there's nowhere left to turn, there's MetMin.
We helped with some of Ms. Harlan's new EPB bill and some of her rent bill. Even more important, we helped her access a cell phone, education and job resources. I think she can take it from here.
"I know it's going to make me stronger, having to pick myself up and start over like this. I can do it!"
Poor people are lousy money managers. True or false?