Cindy first came to the Gaylord Michigan Works! office in October. She was homeless and living out of her car, which had recently broken down. This caused her to lose her most recent employment with a staffing agency in a nearby town, since she was no longer able to reliably commute to work.
On her first visit to Michigan Works! Northeast Consortium, her Career Navigators, Jessica and Mya, referred her to two partner agencies (Adult Ed & MRS) and provided her with a list of community resources, including NEMSCA, Food Pantries, DHHS, E-Free Church, Salvation Army, United Way, The Refuge in Otsego County, and the Women's Resource Center. Jessica was determined to help Cindy get back on her feet and was able to utilize BRES funding (Barrier Removal Employment Success) to cover the repair costs for Cindy’s vehicle.
The next day, Cindy’s vehicle was repaired at no cost to her. She also was able to receive housing assistance from The Refuge in Otsego County and she’s been working with NEMCSA and the United Way as well.
With her vehicle repaired, Cindy began working with Michigan Works! staff on her job search. She completed many applications and landed an interview with the Salvation Army. Nervous about the upcoming interview process, Jessica suggested Cindy take the free Michigan Works! interview workshop, which she attended happily. With feedback from the workshop, Cindy gained confidence in her interview abilities and she landed the job with the Salvation Army!
Michigan Works! was also able to help Cindy with gas and housing costs until she started receiving a paycheck and became more self-sufficient. Cindy continues to be a regular at the Michigan Works! office, working on her Adult Ed coursework before going to work at the Salvation Army. She is also working on applying for housing locally and hopes to secure something soon.