When she first came to Clarifi in May, Deamonie was facing eviction.

“I had a habit of spending on everything,” she said. “Even when I was making the money, it was going somewhere all the time.”

Legal evictions force families to lose their homes, and they can prevent people like Deamonie from accessing safe, affordable homes in the future, since many landlords screen for them. Evictions have been shown to negatively impact job prospects and mental health.

Our counselors help people on the edge of eviction by equipping them with the resources, knowledge and capital to thrive financially. This is how we prevent poverty in our communities. 

Deamonie worked with her counselor to stabilize her income and improve budgeting and spending habits.

“It’s different when you don’t have people in your corner to push you to save,” Deamonie said. “The people I did have in my corner didn’t know how to set financial goals. We were all in the same position… I lost everything.”

Over the next few months, Deamonie moved into a new affordable apartment, completed training programs at CareerLink and obtained two full-time jobs. She also completed a savings match program from the United Way in partnership with Clarifi, which helped her reach her next financial goal, allowing her to buy a vehicle.

Now, she’s working with Clarifi to become homeownership ready.

“I can say that being at the bottom and building back up with the coaching at Clarifi, motivated me,” Deamonie said. “They stay on top of me here. It was all worth it at the end.”