Financial Assistance

The family is comprised of mom and the teenage child. They previously lived with the mother’s husband, but after years of domestic abuse they separated just last year. The mother and child are originally from the Dominican Republic, and the mother endured abuse for fear of negatively affecting both hers and her child’s immigration process by reporting it. The agency recently became involved with this family due to a truancy referral, and after interviews it has been substantiated that work is the underlying issue for the lack of school attendance. Mom does not have any means of transportation and must pay for Ubers to commute to and from her workplace. Additionally, the family must pay for rent, utilities, and food. They are not eligible for government benefits due to having temporary residence in the US. Due to this situation, the child works on a regular basis. While no violations of his school permit have been substantiated based on the number of hours he works, it is clear that he struggles to balance work and education. During initial assessments of the family, the agency obtained information related to a past medical bill, for which there was a payment plan, but payments have never been made due to the financial constraints. It was determined that last year, in order to save money in the long term the child started going to work in a bicycle and suffered an accident around the beginning of 2025. While the family had a community clinic issued insurance, it provided limited coverage, and they walked out with a due amount of $690.72. The mother understands the potential repercussions of this delinquent debt (for which she has never made any payments), but she also expresses that the family is at their limit, and with the child having to reduce work hours per agency recommendation to ensure that his educational needs are being met, paying will be unachievable. This request is being made in order to ensure the mother’s long-term capacity to provide for all basic needs, including housing, education and food security.