ARRA Helps a Family Find a Home and Helps a Mother Find a Job

When she first moved to Silicon Valley, Brenda’s big family was living in a hotel on the verge of homelessness while Brenda struggled to straighten out her Section 8. Only two short years earlier, Brenda had been a certified nursing assistant living in Washington and earning enough money to pay her bills and care for her kids.

Then things began to go wrong. The geriatrics homecare business she worked for took a downturn, and Brenda found herself caring for her mother-in-law. Eventually, her certified nursing assistant license lapsed.

Like so many other people during the current recession, Brenda fell behind on her bills and into Silicon Valley’s safety net of non-profits and government agencies. She received food and clothing assistance from Sacred Heart and – thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 – Brenda’s family got help through the Salvation Army with the deposit and first month’s rent on an apartment narrowly avoiding homelessness.

It’s still a struggle, but Brenda is getting by and working thanks in part to the ARRA-funded Santa Clara County Works program. She works 20 hours a week for Sacred Heart signing in people who come to The Heart’s food pantry. It’s a job that puts her in contact with the myriad people who turn to Sacred Heart for food assistance every month. In April alone, the Sacred Heart Pantry helped more than 20,400 people -- a staggering number that represents only a fraction of the need in Silicon Valley.

Despite the tough economic situation in California and across the entire United States, Brenda is hopeful for her future while acknowledging that she has a long road ahead of her.

"I've learned to be patient and to take one thing at a time," Brenda said. "I'm still looking for other work, but for now this is keeping me on my feet."