Getting Assistance while on Medical Leave

Beth, a single mother of a young son and caretaker of her 69-year-old relative, is a teacher in Atlanta.  After a prolonged period of stress due to housing issues and other personal issues, she developed panic attacks, often causing her to miss work. As the sole provider of her household, Beth knew she needed to take the time to ensure her mental health would allow her to continue to provide for her family in the long-run, so she made the tough decision to take Family and Medical Leave for six weeks. During those six weeks on leave, Beth did not receive any pay from her employer, however she still received a little income from her son’s disability Social Security.

Then, a few weeks later, the coronavirus pandemic hit making an already stressful time harder to deal with. Beth’s housing situation did not improve and the property’s management was not taking any steps to resolve the issues in her apartment. She knew that she could not continue to have her family living in such a horrendous home and needed to move as soon as possible. Beth called St. Vincent de Paul Georgia looking for assistance with her move from her current apartment to a better one suitable for the family to live in. SVdP was able to help Beth with moving fees and also assisted her with food and a grocery gift card.

Shortly after getting assistance from SVdP, Beth’s six-week leave ended and she began receiving paychecks from her employer again and the government stimulus check helped her get back on her feet. This determined mother is feeling better and looks forward to the future and keeping her finances on track.