Damali

Mother of three Damali has spent the last two decades learning, saving money, and trying to get ahead. Damali had her first daughter when she had just graduated from high school. She participated in a pilot program designed for teen parents to access the resources needed to become financially stable and independent. And that’s exactly what Damali did – she worked to get off almost all public assistance, obtained a certificate in childcare, and then when on to get her bachelor’s degree. She only maintained her Section 8 voucher because even with a college degree, she had a hard time finding a job that would pay enough to afford Boston’s expensive rental market. She shares, “I was always just barely scratching the surface and just keeping myself out of debt.”

Eventually, Damali found a great job as a full-time nanny that paid well. But when she became pregnant again at the age of 40, Damali had to re-evaluate her financial situation and ending up reapplying for public assistance. She shares, “It was a huge blow. I felt like, I have my bachelor’s degree and everything, and now I have to restart my journey. Suddenly I jumped so many steps backwards. It took a lot of humility.”

But Damali has always been resourceful. She found another program that would help with job skills and resumé building, which gave her a great boost in her self-esteem. Then, her sister told her about the FSS program, and she decided to enroll in May 2021. At first, Damali felt a little intimidated. But she saw testimonials of past Compass FSS clients and their accomplishments and decided to move forward in the program.

Damali’s goal is to work on paying down her debt, especially her student loans and some credit card debt she accumulated to cover basic needs for her family. But she’s committed to paying down all of this so that she can pursue homeownership in the future without anything hanging over her head.

Working with her financial coach has been a great start towards this goal. She shares, “The most helpful part of working with my financial coach is the accountability. Now, I know I’ve said these goals out loud and I have someone who will help me put a plan together to make them happen. Having someone who can help figure out how to pay off my debt while putting aside a little each month in savings – that’s huge.”

Damali is proud of the next steps for herself and her family, and recently celebrated getting a promotion this summer at Harvard University, where she’s worked for the last three years.

When asked about her experience so far in the program, Damali shares, “This is a great program, especially if you’re just starting off in your career or getting back into the workforce. You can build yourself up in so many ways – not just financially but also with your confidence and self-esteem. You can experience a lot of self-doubt about your future, especially if you’re only making minimum wage and your rent increases every time you make a little more money. Plus, you’re always afraid of losing other supports, like food stamps, every time your income goes up. It’s a hard balance. But with FSS, your rent payments are working for you, even if times are still tough. I’ve never seen another program like this, where people can really feel like they’re doing something to get out of this cycle of public assistance that is so difficult. Most people really don’t want to be reliant on public assistance. I’m kicking myself I didn’t know about it earlier!”

We are so excited to support Damali as she builds her financial security. Stay tuned for updates on Damali and her journey!