Burnside Gorge Community Association: Meghan’s Story

November 8, 2022 / by United Way

Meghan is a single mum who left a relationship with a toddler and newborn in tow. Leaving the relationship had a huge financial impact on her life. She realized she was struggling with all the things going on in her life.

Though she hasn’t had a huge financial crisis in her life, she is now living on a lower income as a single mum, she knew could do better for herself and her kids and needed to learn to live within her means. She was also finding that doing it all on her own can be very isolating and was starting to have an impact on her kids.

“When I’ve been struggling my kids struggle, when I’m doing well, my kids do well”

She was able to connect through her work as a counsellor to the Family Self Sufficiency program (FSS) run through the Burnside Gorge Community Centre, a United Way funded community partner.

The FSS is a three-year financial literacy and asset building program for low income families receiving housing subsidy in the Capital Region.

Participants learn to set life and financial goals to improve budgeting, create savings, reduce debt, increase employability or education, improve health and wellness, and strengthen positive relationships with their children and others.

Though Meghan has just started the program, she is already seeing the benefits with herself and her kids. “The long term impact is huge,” she explains. The group has given her the support and skills she was missing to help her family thrive.