Sometimes when we think about poverty, we visualize someone living in the city, struggling with housing and food. However, we help clients all over the tri-county area, including people living in and facing challenges in rural areas. One client walked into our Elizabethville office because they heard that we could help people struggling financially. This client was Robert Briggs, a 70-year-old man, living in his childhood home, facing loss of housing due to his limited SSI income.
Robert had missed payments for his utilities and property taxes because of his limited income. Not knowing what else to do, when his friend told him about our services, he skeptically approached Carissa Sementilli, Self-Sufficiency Coordinator, looking for assistance. Carissa was able to reassure him that she would do her best to help him reach economic stability once again.
Robert had been behind on his utility bills as well as his property taxes and was at risk of losing his housing due to this. Carissa worked with multiple agencies, like the Salvation Army, Twin Valley Alliance, and more! She also made an internal referral to our Housing Security Team to ensure that he did not lose his electricity.
Once Carissa helped him ensure that his electricity was safe, she focused on his taxes. She was able to get him legal help from MidPenn Legal Services to help prevent his home from being auctioned off. He has owned his home for many years and is passionate about doing his best to keep it. Currently, they are still working with him, and his struggles with his home are ongoing.
The next steps for Robert are finding a part-time position to help increase his limited income to ensure that he is able to keep up with his finances in the future. Carissa is looking into potential opportunities with local non-profits to find him paid volunteer work or other options. Many of our clients are like Robert, hard workers who are faced with struggles, unsure of what to do. We care about all of our community members, no matter where they are located or who they are. If you know someone struggling, please have them reach out to us to see what resources we have for them!
