Christina and Rudy were homeless for three years, supporting each other for safety and survival while living in a tent and simultaneously making incredible strides towards stability. Through CEF and a church called Love Chapel Hill, Christina and Rudy found community and a supportive base from which to pursue employment and transition out of homelessness.
As of May of 2017, they have been off the streets and employed for two full years. Rudy shares, “I think the fact that I was in a house really established me in the workforce.” Christina adds, “I have a full-time job, and I love knowing that when I get off I can come home, sleep in a bed and actually have food that I like that I cook.”
And beautifully, Christina and Rudy just got married! At the ceremony, Rudy made his vows not only to Christina, but to her kids as well. They have amazing plans for their whole family. Rudy shares, “We both want to go back to college…get me a better job, get her some transportation, buy us a house, and then we can look into expanding our family.”
Antonio tells a story like no other, weaving in about four other stories on the way to telling the one he started with. The son of a teacher and a veteran, he loves history and has a passion for helping his community.
Antonio came to Chapel Hill after losing his job in Kinston. He moved into the IFC shelter and quickly connected with CEF through two other residents. A chronic health condition prevents him from working full-time, so Antonio’s Advocates helped him navigate the application for disability benefits while also supporting his search for part-time employment.
His benefit application was approved! Next, Advocates connected him with Caramore, a supportive employment and housing program where he now works and lives. “Y’all helped me to save money. Y’all helped me acquire affordable living.”
Antonio loves music and grew up playing by ear on his aunt’s antique piano. He was one of the first to join the CEF Advocacy Choir, sharing, “I think being a part of CEF is a way of showing that you want to make a difference in your community.”
No Matter What. That is what the bracelet on Earl’s wrist reads. Earl has been sober for 15 months and counting but his memories are fresh from when that was not the case. Earl has been meeting with his Advocate Steven in the Chapel Hill office, pursuing savings and securing employment alongside a 12-step recovery program.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Earl grew up in a large family. “My mother and father had 12 kids, my father was a hardworking man… I’ve seen a lot of things in a young stage that’ve helped me become the person I am today…There was a lot of love,” shares Earl, but “I grew up in an unstable home.” Earl recalls how certain things shaped his relationship with finances. “Where I’m from it wasn’t just about savings, it was about trying to survive… my father never had a bank account, never wrote checks so my mother didn’t either.
When Earl first came to CEF in March of 2016, he was skeptical. “You know, I wasn’t sure about what, you know, I could get from CEF. But I found a lot of students from UNC—they really care about the community. They volunteer their work. I know that when people volunteer their work, they’re here for a purpose… I remember my first day at orientation, it started right then and there. There was so much that they offered me to do. They put the guidelines for what I can and can’t do but it was up to me as an individual to follow those guidelines. It was like being in school, if you don’t do the assignment, what’s the good of being in class. “
At CEF, his consistent Advocate meetings manifested into a successful job search where Earl secured full-time employment at the Carolina Ale House. “The job search it was an experience, most of the jobs I had were daily paid labor. I understood I didn’t want that type of job anymore”. Although the restaurant recently closed, he feels more prepared now for the job search than he did before. “We’re not finished yet. We’re looking for a job. But now I know how to approach it. He’s (Steven’s) already setting the guidelines for me, he’s already helping me prepare for tomorrow… That’s what I learned from CEF. Preparing myself for the future.”
Earl also spends his meetings with Steven working on finances, which includes disputing debts and created payment and budget plans. By making consistent savings deposits, Earl has saved just shy of $4,000. “I came by Tuesday and put $500 in my savings because I know it’s the right thing to do. I love the idea, I really do, of having a savings account.” Earl also opened a bank account at Coastal Federal Credit Union to build even more savings and have access to a checking account! “Now, I go to a bank and they know my name. ‘Hey Earl, how you doing Earl?’ Even when I’m not there to cash a check I still go in there, talk my banker, talk about ball, talk about how my life is going.” Earl told us that his banker even offered to be a reference for prospective employers, “she sees something in me that I didn’t see when I first started to open my bank account.”
Earl is paired with Steven but that does not stop him from building connections with other CEF Advocates. “I gave a couple of advocates some names like ‘Sarah Salad,’ ‘Sarah Hotdog,’ ‘Chocolate Ice Cream’, you know, because that’s the kind of bond I built with them.”
Earl with CEF Advocates at the Financial Independence Day celebration
Earl only has words of praise for Steven. “It’s all about the relationship that I built with Steven has helped me focus on things in life that I know I am able to achieve…he always has great things to share with me. He always gives me that positive motivation.” More than anything, Earl believes the key to success is partnership. “I don’t want a handout. Just give me a hand… Show me, guide me, pull me along the way. Just give me that, “you can do it.” That is the hand I need.”
So what exactly is Earl saving for? Family. “I have 3 sons, 3 grandsons and we have never all been together at one time…We’ve never been together. Every day I get a little older. We’ll get together and play a game of basketball…That’s one of the reasons I’m trying to save some money too. One day man, one father’s day man, there’ll be that love, that unity.”
Earl and his Advocate Steven in the Chapel Hill office
In partnership with Legal Aid of North Carolina, CEF hosted Healthcare Navigators in both our Durham office and CEF’s Orange Community Hub weekly in order to assess insurance options through the Healthcare Marketplace and provide targeted support in enrollment for CEF Members.
During the pilot of this partnership (open enrollment for 2017), 52 households were served, with 22 obtaining health insurance directly through the Marketplace and 12 choosing alternative insurance options. Meanwhile, 18 of the households filed hardship exemptions as they could not afford health insurance due in part to the state legislature of North Carolina choosing not to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act.
Affordable health insurance plays a key role in the financial stability of CEF’s Members by increasing access to preventive medicine and prescriptions, and by protecting gains in savings, credit, and well-being which could all be lost due to a medical emergency without insurance. CEF is grateful for the partnership of this amazing team of Healthcare Navigators, and proud that the results of our collaboration increased access to this critical resource for CEF Members!
“We share these stories, and are reminded just how profound it is to be a part CEF. We share them with gratitude for the whole wide CEF family—Members, Advocates, supporters, and friends. Thank you for reading, writing, and living this story with us!”
How one Member’s passion for quilting is spreading love and togetherness at CEF
David believes that every quilt is an opportunity for connection. “Our society is losing that personal touch, and in that process of us making that quilt, if someone is bothered about something, we have the chance to talk about it.” Originally from Sanford, North Carolina, David moved to Chapel Hill last summer to receive better medical care for his sickness and quickly found himself without a place to stay. “I’ve never experienced homelessness until now.”
David’s passion for quilting is life long. “I have been quilting for 30 years or more. When I was young I couldn’t play outside too much, I used to sew my mother’s clothes and when I got older I took an industrial sewing class.”
David was initially connected to CEF through the IFC men’s shelter. “I wanted to see all I could about all the people around, and I found out about CEF the day during that time I was sick. He (his advocate Kevin) was just like a brother. What I did is a lot of the meetings, and during that time and I was going to Opportunity Class. I was just trying to get a feel for what things were going.” David also enjoys engaging in Talking Sidewalks and CEF’s Advocacy Choir, where he performed for the CEF TED Talk in Memorial Hall this past April. His weekly meetings with his Advocate Kevin, however, sometimes included searching for local quilting groups to join “I liked taking something you would throw away and making something beautiful.”
In February of 2017, David, alongside Kevin, launched the first ever Quilting Circle in the Chapel Hill office. The Quilting Circle allows Members and Advocates to enjoy a community that socializes, relaxes and celebrates each other. “The thing about old-fashioned quilting is that it takes everyone together in the circle to make it. Quilting forces us to talk to each other about things and, in turn, we start to form a strong bond.” Each week, that is exactly what Members and Advocates do, gathering in the CEF office for a collaborative craft and safe space to support and celebrate one another. David, who is currently staying in the shelter, provides all the fabric and supplies himself. He has successfully gotten some supplies donated through the Scrap Exchange in Durham. His quilting projects vary from week to week as he brings new projects to keep people interested and learning. “I just take everything and look at the goodness of it because you can turn everything around and make it pretty, Cause you know, everybody has faults, everyone has needs, everyone is human so live and let live.”
The first quilt is set to be put up in the office this summer. “This is my way of giving back for everything y’all have done for me. If it wasn’t for CEF in this moment, in this time, these people would not be able to come together and make something so beautiful.”
So what is David looking forward to? ”To be in my own place so I can keep on quilting. I am going to quilt and sew until the day I leave the earth.”
Sound amazing? Come to Quilting Circle any Thursday at 6:00pm in the Chapel Hill office and see for yourself! No experience necessary.
The CEF Community is proud to announce the 6th annual Financial Independence Day on Saturday July 8th at Umstead Park in Chapel Hill. Join us as we celebrate member savings, accomplishments and financial freedom!
Things to get excited about
Things to know:
Thanks for coming to the Party on April 13th!
