Help 80 Women Find Jobs & Financial Independence

Thank you for being the Women's Employment Network's (WEN) partner in bringing change to the lives of unemployed and underemployed women living in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The women who come to WEN are ready to make a change and determined to live a better life. Thanks to the support of the community and WEN's staff, women are able to find greater economic stability and reach their goals.

Tracy is an example of one such client whose focus and determination became her ticket out of poverty. Having a clear goal in mind has proven time and again to increase one's chances of achieving that goal. When Tracy first came to WEN, she knew what her goal was. However, at that time, she was unemployed and her four children were living with family members with only food stamps to contribute to the household. As anyone could imagine, the home was crowded and Tracy was eager tomoveto a place of her own. She first needed steady employment and a living-wage, so she turned to WEN for guidance.

While attending the Women's Employment Network's five-week Employment Preparation and Career Transition Training Program, Tracy illustrated her determination to change her life every step of the way. First, she decided that to address her financial struggles head-on, meet with WEN's Financial Coach, complet a financial assessment and reviewher credit report. After  gaining a full picture of her personal debts and household expenses, Tracy was able to establish a budget and work on building her credit,which included disputing incorrect information on the report and then paying off debts once she became employed.

Soon after graduation Tracy was offered a temporary position. She was back to work! Once she had received a full paycheck, she came back into WEN to create a new monthly budget. This budget was built to support her goal of saving enough money to be able to move her family to their own home. Over the next few months, she worked to pay off some of the bills that had fallen behind so that she could focus on her future and save. The Financial Coach continued to work with her on her credit action plan by helping her to understand the report and the steps she would need to take to increase her score.

It didn't take long before, Tracy had great news to share with WEN. She was offered a permanent position at the company she had been working at and the promotionto full-time also incliuded and a higher salary. This stability gave her the confidence and the income that she needed to pursue her goal and move her and her children into a new rental townhome.

In just over a year, Tracy has accomplished amazing things. Not only has she achieved the goals she declared when she bgan WEN's Employment Preparation and Career Transition Training Program; but along the way she has accomplished financial feats that will support her stability in the future.

WEN truly appreciates your support of this program, and of the women like Tracy we serve everyday. Thank you!