Ten months. That's how long CW had been out of work, searching every day for a job, while raising five children on her own. Ten months of watching the bills pile up. Ten months of dreading the mail and the phone calls.
Then help arrived — and it changed everything.
"That Sense of Security and Dignity"
When United Way of the Columbia-Willamette stepped in to pay CW's utility bills in full, it did more than keep the lights on. It gave her family something money alone can't usually buy: peace of mind.
In her own words:
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the incredible gift of paying our bills in full. I've been out of work for the past 10 months and adamantly looking, with five children, it's been an incredibly difficult season. Your generosity has done so much more than cover our utilities. It has lifted an enormous weight from our family."
CW told us that because of this help, her family wouldn't have to live with the stress of disconnect notices, overdue bill calls, or the fear of her children seeing more notices posted on their door.
"That sense of security and dignity is something I can't put a price on. Your kindness gives us the chance to focus on moving forward instead of constantly worrying about keeping the lights on and the water running."
She closed her letter with a hope many of our neighbors share once they've been on the receiving end of generosity:
"I will never forget this act of generosity, and I hope that one day I'll be in a position to extend the same kindness to someone else."
— CW and Family
Why Stories Like CW's Are So Common Right Now
CW's family is what we call an ALICE family — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These are households that are working, often working hard, but still one job loss, medical bill, or rent increase away from crisis. Across our region, thousands of families live this reality every day, and a single disruption — like ten months of unemployment — can be the difference between stability and a downward spiral toward eviction or homelessness.
That's exactly the gap our housing stability work exists to close.
"That sense of security and dignity is something I can't put a price on. Your kindness gives us the chance to focus on moving forward instead of constantly worrying about keeping the lights on and the water running."
How We Help Keep Families Housed
Housing stability is one of United Way of the Columbia-Willamette's core focus areas, built on a simple belief: a safe, stable home is the foundation everything else depends on — a child's education, a family's health, a parent's ability to hold down a job and keep looking for a better one.
We do this work through a few key efforts:
The Resilient Families Fund provides direct support for eviction prevention, rental assistance, and utility assistance — the exact kind of help that reached CW's family. The fund supports housing stability programs by providing eviction prevention, rental and utility assistance, and critical support to keep families in their homes. Sometimes, as with CW, the difference between a family staying housed and a family losing everything comes down to a relatively modest amount of assistance at exactly the right moment.
Our Eviction Legal Defense program has helped over 4,000 families stay housed, giving neighbors facing eviction access to legal representation so a single crisis doesn't spiral into displacement.
Rapid financial assistance matters more than people often realize. We've also seen that it doesn't always take a large sum to change a family's trajectory — an average of roughly $2,100 has been enough to keep families and individuals stably housed and help them avoid the trauma of homelessness entirely.
A Focus on Equity
Housing instability doesn't affect every community equally. Our Housing Stability work prioritizes communities of color, who are disproportionately impacted by housing inequities, so that as we close gaps, every family in our region benefits.
Another parent who received support through this work put it simply:
"Housing stability means having at least a shelter over the head and don't need to be worried and can stay with your family and stay safe, alive and not having to life the street. Being warm and comfortable and stable, and good shelter."
That's what we're fighting for. Not just paid bills — dignity, safety, and the chance for a family to breathe.
What This Means for CW's Family — and Yours
For CW, this support meant something bigger than a zeroed-out utility balance. It meant her children didn't have to see another notice on the door. It meant she could spend her energy on her job search instead of triage calls with utility companies. It meant, in her words, the chance to focus on moving forward.
Every family we help is one story among thousands across our region who are working hard, holding on, and hoping someone sees their need and responds with compassion — the way CW described it.
The truth is, we can only keep showing up because our community shows up for us.
You Can Be Part of the Next Story Like This One
Right now, there are more families across our region facing the same kind of impossible season CW faced — working, searching, doing everything right, and still one emergency away from losing their home. Your support through United Way of the Columbia-Willamette directly funds the eviction prevention, rental assistance, and support that keeps families like CW's in their homes and together.
You don't have to solve the whole problem. You just have to help one family through their hardest season — the way our community helped CW through hers.
Give today and help us make sure every family in our region has a safe, stable place to call home. United is the Way we build a more resilient community — together.
