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market. Now, the organization
helps up to ten families at a time.
Much of Families Helping Families’ money helps pay clients’ utility bills, but they also account for
any social services the families
may receive. Financial literacy and
responsibility — as well as discipline — are at the heart of the
program. Many of Joseph’s clients
have never had a bank account, and
don’t realize the importance of having a relationship with a banking
institution. She’s partnered with a
local credit union, which developed
a financial training program for the
nonprofit’s clients, she said. Mothers accepted into the program also
meet with employment directors
and are given access to seminars
on child-rearing and nutrition.
Their children receive tutoring
services as well.
The typical family will receive
assistance for about two years, and
Joseph’s ultimate goal is to make
each family self-sufficient. But clients’ goals vary: while one mother
may set out for a GED, others have
strived for bachelors degrees. One
client worked at a meatpacking
plant when she started with Families Helping Families; through the
nonprofit, she earned her GED and
was hired by an insurance agency,
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where she still works ten years later.
Some clients have gone on to buy
homes, earn college de