Crystal and her newborn arrived in New Haven with little savings and basically one suitcase, and dreams of a better future. An aunt offered Crystal a room and a promise to help with childcare if Crystal would actively seek employment and begin saving for an apartment.  Crystal knew this was her chance to start a new life in a new place.  She was able to find full time employment within the first week and loved her job and looked forward to her future.  But just when she was getting ahead, her hopes and dreams seemed to come crashing down on her. The landlord where she was living had let the house go into foreclosure in 2008 and the bank was now, after two years, putting the house up for public auction.  She and her aunt had to move out.  Her aunt moved in with a friend but there was no room for Crystal and the baby. 

Crystal had saved enough money for her first month's rent and half of the security deposit on a new apartment but the new landlord had someone else also interested in the same apartment who could give all the month upfront.  She did not want to lose the apartment she had found yet she had no other resources to get funding for the remaining $700 she needed by the first of that month.  After speaking with the landord, JFS was able to convince him to wait just one more week, with the guarantee that the complete security deposit would be paid along with the first month's rent.  In order to help Crystal plan for the future, JFS helped her make a budget of future expenses so she would know when and how much she would need in her savings and checking accounts.  Crystal was also assisted in applying for WIC and food stamps and was registered for the JFS Food Assistance Program to help cut costs of purchasing food (and saving the money that would have been spent on food for other necessities such as utilities, diapers and formula).  Shortly after the first of the month, Crystal and her child moved into her new apartment, thanks to JFS and N2N funding for Housing and Food Assistance.