Angela’s Story

Angela is thankful that she has had the same apartment for the past eight years, providing a home base for her and her two children, ages 8 and 11. She had been searching for an apartment in the Brewster area so that her kids could remain in their school system and she could work at the rehabilitation center where she had been since 2007.

During her search for long-term housing where she could commute to work be close to the school system, and while staying at a friend’s house, the friend introduced her to Lower Cape Outreach Council (LCOC). Gennie was her contact. Angela had a steady job in healthcare, but both her children were under three years old and she was still struggling financially. LCOC helped her find affordable housing, where she has remained for eight years.

The pandemic caused her to stop working because there was no childcare or school for her young children to go to during the day. More recently, she has made the difficult decision to keep them in a hybrid learning situation—homeschooling and online—because she wasn’t comfortable sending them on the bus and to school all day.

She has been able to pick up shifts on a per diem basis as a Certified Nursing Assistant—CNA—for which she received her CNA certificate 13 years ago. She was trained at a nursing home but now picks up shifts from both that nursing home/rehabilitation center as well as a home health agency. She has some family who help her out with childcare for weekend and overnight shifts. She says it feels great to be working again and she loves her job and providing care for elderly and sick patients.

But until she had income coming in once again, she looked to LCOC for some help, most recently for a rent payment. She continually worried that getting behind in bills, especially rent, will lead to instability for her family. “Lower Cape Outreach Councils help means a lot. Being in a situation that you can’t plan for, and surviving on a paycheck to paycheck basis, it gives me hope to know that someone has my back when the times get tough. I have gone to LCOC for rent as well as car payment help and, once, a cable bill and they have never been anything but kind, generous and non-judgmental. Its so hard to ask for help, but they made it easier,” Angela said.

“I am grateful and thankful for LCOC’s help. They give hope to a lot of families on a regular basis and especially during this pandemic,” she adds. When asked about how she feels right now for the future and her family’s health she just says, “So far, so good”.

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