Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-by-World Participants Feel Hopeful for Their Future

Jun 12

Written By Distill

Nine participants recently completed "Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-by-World," an innovative 12-week course that helps individuals and families at-risk for homelessness identify the underlying causes of poverty, increase financial literacy, and design a personalized action plan for escaping poverty and achieving long-term self-sufficiency.

Shelly Hines, Family Safety Net director, led this workshop series to help participants create a path to a more stable, secure future. Over the 12 weeks, participants discussed the impact poverty has on their lives, set personal goals, discovered their strengths, shared experiences to learn from others and develop a support network within the group, and built resources to get ahead. The course concluded last month with a graduation ceremony.

Shelly says, “On the first and last day of the class, we gave the participants a ‘Hope Scale’ survey. The score for each of the six questions was better at the end of the class, showing that the participants were more hopeful, ready to pursue their goals, and better able to cope with challenges." Some comments from the survey included:

“A favorite part of the class was sharing experiences with the other people and learning the causes of certain poverty issues. I loved the discussions.”
“I appreciated the open discussions and hearing other opinions and experiences. I learned about setting goals, planning, and taking that baby step to get going.”
I liked that everyone was allowed to give feedback and share experiences with one another.”

Congratulations to all of the graduates!