Once deep in debt, Johanna Flores is pursuing her dream of owning her own home

When Johanna Flores found out her parents had fallen into hard times she knew she had no choice but to help.  Her father was ill and had lost his job. To make matters worse, her mother was also out of work. Johanna began sending part of her earnings to her parents, who lived in Mexico, while trying to support her children as a single mother.  Before long, Johanna faced thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

Johanna turned to Urban Upbound for help and enrolled in the Financial Fitness Program. Her counselor helped her to manage and reduce her debt, cut spending, and create a plan to help her save more of her income. She and her children even opened accounts at the Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union.  Today, Johanna is financially secure and is dedicating her life to helping women who are ex-offenders in her role as program coordinator at Hour Children, a community group that helps formerly incarcerated women to find employment.

“For the first time in my life, I have money saved,” said Johanna.  “I know it will take a long time but my goal is to be completely debt free so that I can buy my dream house.”