As you know, the United Way has a Financial Literacy Program. It’s 100% funded by donor dollars as all the grants that focus on Financial Literacy will not pay for staff. This is frustrating because a successful Financial Literacy Program IS a staff person. No amount of brochures, websites, or apps can take the place of sitting and talking to another human being about money.

I was reviewing Caroline’s plan for the new year. Her program is in such high demand it can be 3 weeks before someone can get an appointment with her. But I am also aware of the pressures that come with that level of need and want to manage the risk of staff burning out. Looking at her calendar a meeting that was booked AT the OPP station in Chatsworth jumped out at me.

Naturally, I was worried that this was done out of safety, and I wanted to know more. Caroline sort of chuckled and assured me this was a story of joy, not danger.

Family members had grown concerned about…well lets call her “Betty White”, a senior who lived alone. She wasn’t answering the phone, and no one in her circle had seen or heard from her for a few days. Family (who were from out of town, not local) called the OPP and asked for a ‘wellness check’. The OPP went out with a MMHART worker to the house.

They found Betty, safe, but very cold, bundled up on her couch in blankets, and in tears. She’d run out of propane and didn’t have any money to buy more. She was embarrassed and didn’t want her family or friends to know she was struggling financially. The OPP MHART worker is very familiar with the United Way’s programs and immediately contacted us. We prioritized her application and within 24 hours she had a delivery.

Betty dropped into the OPP station in Chatsworth to say thank you to the MMHART worker and let her know she’d gotten heat. They also then arranged a follow up meeting with Caroline to connect Betty to other programs and services that could help.

We also have a second fund, that a generous donor has given us, to ‘top up’ seniors who apply to our Utility Program. So we’re going to be able to arrange a second fill in the next couple of weeks as Betty works through the Financial Literacy Program. Ensuring she has warmth during this damp and cold, dark winter.

This is the power of our Financial Literacy Program. It’s the prevention, and it’s also the long-term solution for a lot of people. We put a lot of effort into managing the crisis in people’s lives, this program can stop the fires from starting. If there is a crisis, it can create long-term solutions and prevent a crisis from getting too big.

Thank you for taking the time out of your holiday to read this and thank you for making a positive impact in our community!

Francesca