Belinda struggled to support herself and her four children in a job that paid $19.53 an hour. Her utilities bill alone was more than $600 a month. Then she lost her job in 2020 and, therefore, her car. At her lowest, with no expectation of a way out, she was referred by the Atlanta Housing Authority to the Urban League’s Pathways to Empowerment program. Her world changed.
In the program, a multitude of pathways opened up for Belinda at no cost to her. She was chosen to participate in the city’s IMPACT guaranteed income one-year pilot project that granted each household an extra $500 a month to effectively lift them out of poverty. A therapist helped her gain confidence. And she earned certifications, including the Financial Institute’s insurance license for sales and adjusting.
Following certification, Belinda soared. Delta Airlines hired her to do plane routing. Next, she secured her dream job as an operations manager at JP Morgan Chase, one of the largest banks in the world.
At each step as her financial status improved, Belinda invested in her family, moving to better housing and taking part in various community events to broaden their horizons.
“Leah Pulliam at the League is a great professional resource to continue to help me advance career-wise, and also I have found myself now more involved in politics than I ever have,” Belinda said. “I always voted but never knew the candidates personally. But thanks to the Urban League, I have personal friends now that are politicians, and they have helped me a lot.”
Belinda says her goal is to be “a leader in giving back to my community and offering resources to others who are in need.”
She added: “Thank you, Urban League, for helping my family to move from living in the ‘hood to being able to afford and have a middle-class life.
“The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to never feel it’s too late to live your dreams. I say to my former self, ‘Stay strong, things will get better.’ And to my future self, ‘Sometimes things may not go your way, but God’s plan is with faith.’ So, sometimes when things do not go as planned, know that God will make a way with faith.”
