Journey from Homeless Shelter to Self-Sufficiency
In July 2015 , a single parent and her three children were referred to the Arlington Housing Authority ’ s Tenant Based Rental Assistance ( TBRA ) Program from The Arlington Life Shelter . She ended up at the shelter after leaving an unhappy marriage in Oklahoma . While at the shelter , she obtained employment at Subway , which is where she was employed when she started the TBRA program . At that point Lashanda Harris remained diligent in seeking employment . Due to a funding source , Ms . Harris was transferred from the TBRA program over to the Housing Choice Voucher Program .
She entered the program in June 2016 without employment or income and six months later was able to obtain employment . Two months later , her hours and income were increased , and she was making improvements for herself and her children . A month later , she lost her job and once again was unemployed . Ms . Harris was unemployed until June 2018 , when she once again gained employment and fortunately , she has not been unemployed since . She has remained resilient and has had her share of trials and tribulations in her housing and employment journeys . In July 2020 , the Arlington Housing Authority ’ s Family Self Sufficiency ( FSS ) program sparked an interest in Ms . Harris , and she decided to participate in the program . This program is a voluntary 5-year program for Housing Choice Voucher recipients interested in becoming economically independent and decreasing their reliance on government assistance . In working with program staff , she has developed a training plan to work towards her employment , credit , and homeownership goals . She has already made great strides in these areas and has seen a 300-point increase in her credit score and raises at her current employer . In addition , she is working with housing counselors at Housing Channel to learn about homeownership and prepare her finances to become a first-time homebuyer soon . When speaking with Ms . Harris she shared how being in survival mode had helped her internally be successful for herself and her children .
She stated , “ You have to want the help and do what you need to get the help .” When discussing her challenges , she also spoke of housing being a support and not forever . She spoke of never giving up and “ wanted my children to have the opportunities that I didn ’ t get .”
Ms . Harris is current working remotely from home at American Specialty Health and loves working from home and getting to take care of her children at the same time . She shared the children are all spread out in schools : one in high school , one in middle school , and one in elementary . When asked how she likes the FSS program she stated , “ knowing that the escrow is there encourages me to keep going .” And when asked what her goal was , she shared that she wanted to buy a home and further establish self-sufficiency to pass down to her children . This is Lashanda ’ s success story !