Suzanne called into Catholic Charities looking for help with her gas bill. She was in threat of disconnection and unsure how her and her husband would pay the amount needed to stay on. In March of 2020, she was forced to stop working when her children’s school went to remote learning due to the pandemic. Upon the children returning to in person learning, Suzanne struggled to find adequate employment. At that time she chose to pursue higher education in hopes of securing gainful employment upon the completion of her degree. To support his wife & family during this time, Suzanne’s husband *Tim was working both a full-time job as well as part time job. Suzanne expressed that with the steadily rising prices of gas and groceries, they were already living paycheck to paycheck when Tim very suddenly and unexpectedly lost his part time employment. Our agency was able to utilize our EA funding from the United Way to assist with the gas bill and stop any threat of disconnect. Suzanne also discussed with her Catholic Charities caseworker other supports their family qualifies for like SNAP benefits as well as programs that are available in Stark County that assist those who are actively looking for employment, such as Ohio Means Jobs.
