Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Summer 2004)
TOPIC: Lending a hand: Project Self-Sufficiency
 
by chryss cada

Julie Turnquist probably could have made it on her own, but she’s glad she didn’t have to.

In 1997, when she suddenly found herself a single parent of three children, the future she saw looked bleak.

“Once I was on my own, I figured I’d have to drop out of school (she had begun working on a nursing degree) and find some minimum-wage job,” she says.

Instead, what she found was Project Self-Sufficiency, a United Way-funded agency that has been serving single-parent families in Larimer County since 1986. The agency, which has an annual operating budget of $448,300, also receives funding from Larimer County and the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland.
Project Self-Sufficiency offers practical services – from career planning assistance to car repair to “Kid Power” classes.

“In addition to practical support, we offer moral support,” says program executive director Mary Carraher. “I think that’s often the most important thing. These women have an easier time believing in themselves if they know somebody else believes in them.”

To qualify for the program, single parents must have at least one child younger than 15 living at home, be at or below185 percent of the poverty level and show motivation to become self-sufficient. Between 125 and 135 families are typically served in a year’s time.
about project self-sufficiency
For information on Project Self-Sufficiency, call 416-2924 or visit www.ps-s.org

Programs offered include:
• Career planning assistance and job placement
• Grants and no-interest loans to assist with a variety of needs including educational expenses
• A car repair program, using volunteer labor to diagnose problems and repair vehicles
• A car donation program that furnishes families with cars for travel to work, school and child care
• Music, art, athletic and other activities for children that prevent delinquency and encourage development of cognitive, motor and social skills. Available through the Boundless Children’s Fund.
• Classes on self-esteem and healthy relationships
• Housing assistance and Project Self-Sufficiency services through the Willow Place Housing Program managed by Loveland’s Housing Authority

At the core of the services provided to single moms (currently there are no dads in the program) is the adviser program. Together, parent and adviser develop and implement a self-sufficiency action plan that includes both career and family goals.

“Most program participants will say that the adviser program is the best part,” Carraher says. “An adviser is someone who is there for them from the beginning and all the way through.”

Turnquist says having an adviser made all the difference for her.

“My advisers showed me there was always help no matter what was going on in my life or with my kids,” she says. “But they did it without telling me what to do — they just showed me my options.”

Turnquist fulfilled her dream of becoming a registered nurse, graduating with a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Northern Colorado.

“To someone who finds herself in the position I found myself in, I would say stick with your goals and try to access the support systems available to you,” she says. “There were times I didn’t think I could make it, that I wanted to quit, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good for my future or my children’s futures.”