“It was a bad week.” SherReece Johnson thinks back to just two months ago when she discovered that her dryer had caught fire, causing minor damage in the home and burning all of her daughter’s clothes. On top of that, two days after the fire, her bank account was hacked, draining all of her savings. “I wasn’t sure what to do. I literally had nothing.”
SherReece is no stranger to overcoming challenging times. She had faced eviction after a difficult period juggling being a young working mom and finding childcare. She spent weeks couch-surfing with her toddler before moving into a temporary shelter. After just 2.5 months, SherReece settled into a small, subsidized apartment and got connected with Community of Hope’s Rapid Re-housing program, which provides rental and utility assistance with supportive case management. She quickly came to trust her case manager, who helped her learn how to make a budget, set goals, and find community resources. “My caseworker made me feel safe and not judged. She was there to help me.”
SherReece, who continued to work through all of her housing instability, also began to thrive in her job. Nearly simultaneous to her eviction, she had started working at Chipotle as a crew member and most recently she received her second promotion in 3 years – to Service Manager. Focused on the goal of finding stable housing and improve her financial situation, SherReece raised her credit nearly 200 points and has consistently paid off debt.
Even with the recent bad week, SherReece knows that all of her effort and hard work has not been wasted. She spoke with the bank and received a credit to her account while her case is under investigation, and her manager was understanding and flexible with the days she needed to take off. “Sometimes when I’m overwhelmed, I tend to shut down and not really talk to anyone. But I prayed, and then that week [of the fire] I got the call that I was approved for my new apartment.” With a smile, she described how her soon-to-be home is a lot bigger, with more kids in the neighborhood—and that it safe for them to play outside. Her daughter gleefully added, “my room gets to be bright purple!”
In addition to her job at Chipotle, SherReece recently began helping her sister run a party business – renting out moon bounces, costumes, balloon arches and more. She hopes that her business continues to grow so she can continue to do what she loves—create and play with kids.
SherReece is graduating the Rapid Re-Housing program this month. She shared how Community of Hope is a great help, giving people an opportunity to get back on their feet and start over. When asked if she was going to miss her caseworker, she exclaimed, “Of course! I can tell her about anything like she is my friend…but it is time for me to spread my wings and do my own thing. Community of Hope helps you to be able to do that for yourself.”
