Families

Chris had a good job. Then his employer reorganized and his job was eliminated. He was left with bills to pay and a child to support.

Chris made finding a job his new job. “I was never so scared in my life,” he admitted. “I was willing to do anything.”

When unemployment ran out, he faced the uncertainty of how he would support his son and himself. Competition was tough just to get an interview. “My job search was harder than I ever imagined,” he said. “I felt invisible.” While hard for Chris to do, he asked for help.

Elizabeth struggled to earn enough money while attending college. She left school, began full-time employment, and got married. She became pregnant about the time her husband was laid off from his job. The financial stress strained their relationship and they eventually separated. Elizabeth and her son ended up living in a friend’s basement.

That was when Elizabeth heard about Project Success, an IOCP program that helps parents achieve long-term stability by setting employment, education and family goals. She has been in the program for a year and is excited about her future.

Laura was a stay-at-home mom raising her two children when she and her husband separated. Soon afterwards, her sister joined their household after she was diagnosed with cancer. Laura found herself without a paying job and responsible for a family of four. Her church referred her to IOCP. There, she used the food shelf and received rent assistance.

“I can’t tell you how the stress is off me, knowing I can feed my kids,” she said. “Without IOCP, I couldn’t have stayed in my house.”

Laura has her master’s degree and works full time now. Even so, sometimes she needs a little help.

Three years ago, Erika and her husband moved to Plymouth with their 4 children. They bought a house and were thrilled to have their 3 school-aged children in the Wayzata School District.

Still, money was tight. Certified as a community health worker, Erika wanted to pursue a degree in public health. This would allow her to increase her job opportunities.

Jose, a determined dad going to college full-time and working part-time on weekends, is a few months away from realizing his dream of being an LPN. He drives his two kids to his mom’s house an hour away every weekend so he can work, typically for twelve-hour stretches.

Recently, it looked like Jose might lose his dream. His car broke down, which meant he couldn’t get to work or school.

“Fortunately, IOCP helped me with the repairs,” he said.

“If it wasn’t for IOCP’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in school and work at the same time,” he added.

Wanda Risper is one busy person. But it wasn’t always that way: after moving here from North Carolina, she had no job and little money.

When Wanda was looking for quality child care, IOCP referred her to Kid’s Care Connection in Plymouth. IOCP and Messiah United Methodist Church worked with her to help cover the tuition.

“This was huge for me,” Wanda said. Getting help with tuition and knowing her children were in quality child care allowed her to work. “IOCP makes things as easy as possible for you,” she said.

When the automotive industry was hit hard, layoffs began. I had worked for a dealership for almost 10 years, but I wasn’t spared. Suddenly I had no job, no income, no health care.

I started a job search, but all the dealerships were in the same predicament. After 9 months, I still didn’t have a job. I got behind in my rent and we had a family crisis. I found myself the sole supporter of my 8-year-old son.

I spent hours at Hennepin County, working my way through the system. It wasn’t enough. Things were getting worse.

My landlord suggested I go to IOCP.

When a manufacturer consolidated its offices late in 2009, jobs were eliminated. Myroslava was among those to have her position in accounts receivable cut.

“At first I couldn’t stop crying,” she said. “Every day I heard stories on the radio about people losing their job.”

Other job counseling services kept losing Myroslava’s e-mails and didn’t respond to her calls, but Kathryn Johnson, IOCP’s employment specialist, was very organized and reliable.