Krystina Wallace of Luna Pier was the proud recipient of the October 2001 Achiever of the Month Award. This single mother of three children turned to the Family Independence Agency (FIA) for assistance in September 1997. At that time, she was pregnant with her second child, unemployed and had just relocated from Wakefield, Michigan to Monroe County. Through the Monroe County FIA she received Family Independence Program benefits, food stamps and Medicaid to help provide for her family.
For the next several years Krystina was on and off of public assistance and working in a variety of part-time jobs. At one time, she worked for the Air Force in their reservations section, as a security guard at the Monroe County FIA and as a nursing assistant at the Tender Care Nursing Home (formerly the Beach Nursing Home). However, despite her efforts Krystina never earned enough to get a head or to sustain her economic independence.
Krystina’s lack of job skills made it difficult for her to find employment that paid enough to meet her family’s needs. While she was glad to be working, she wanted a job that would allow her to provide more for her family. Krystina recognized that enhancing her employment skills would help her get a better paying job.
In 2000, she attended a Work First orientation where she received information on a licensed practical nurse’s training program. After the orientation, she contacted her Work First Placement/Retention Specialist to find out how she could become a part of it.
In May 2000, the Work First contractor, Southeast Michigan Community Alliance, enrolled Krystina in the licensed practical nursing program at the Toledo School of Practical Nursing in Toledo, Ohio. Work First also provided her with uniforms and assisted in paying for her State Boards. To support her training efforts the FIA helped with day care and later, when the family needed to relocate, they assisted Krystina by providing State Emergency Relief for moving costs.
Krystina graduated from the licensed practical nursing program in May 2001 and took her test for LPN certification on October 24. Today, she works part-time at the Tender Care Nursing Home. Upon receiving her LPN certification she will become a full-time employee. Krystina’s cash assistance case closed due to earnings on June 30, 2001. Currently, the family receives transitional Medicaid, which can last up to one year after departure from public assistance.
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Krystina Wallace of Luna Pier was the proud recipient of the October 2001 Achiever of the Month Award. This single mother of three children turned to the Family Independence Agency (FIA) for assistance in September 1997. At that time, she was pregnant with her second child, unemployed and had just relocated from Wakefield, Michigan to Monroe County. Through the Monroe County FIA she received Family Independence Program benefits, food stamps and Medicaid to help provide for her family.
