With finances tight, Clara is exploring every possible option available to help alleviate her family’s financial instability. She has weighed the pros and cons of taking on more house cleaning shifts, renting out a bedroom, and even selling her home. All of these options could help her in the immediate term but it won’t provide the stability that her family needs for the future. There must be another choice. 

While cleaning a client’s home, she thinks about Inter-Faith Council for Social Service (IFC), a United Way funded nonprofit partner in Carrboro. When she last met with them, they mentioned that they could be a resource for other support. Clara hates asking for help but she’s starting to feel desperate.

She stops by IFC’s offices on the way home that day and meets with staff members once again. Clara explains her financial challenges and the snowball effect that has come from taking on support of her grandchildren and increased property taxes. Because her new tax bill is putting Clara and her grandchildren at risk of displacement or homelessness, IFC starts by offering financial support to pay for the family’s high electric bill this month. With that bill covered, Clara is able to use the funds she would have spent on the utility bill to help cover part of her new tax bill.

Clara finally feels like she can breathe a little easier.