This month, Working Credit is pleased to shine our spotlight on Rasheeda, a devoted mother of two children aged 16 and 9. Her compelling story exemplifies the important relationship between credit building and personal empowerment. Rasheeda has commendably raised her credit score by 84 points and is in the process of buying her first home!
Rasheeda first learned about our program through the Cook County Promise Pilot program, a Working Credit partner that provided unconditional monthly cash payments to 3,250 low-to-moderate income families in Cook County for a period of two years (2022-2024).
For Rasheeda, credit building is not merely about achieving a good credit score. It’s a journey of resilience, a testament to her determination to overcome adversity. Living in a challenging environment, she finds strength in her daily struggles, using them as fuel to achieve her financial goals. “The situation, where I live, It’s not fun living here. Every day I work 14-16 hours, and I only get 3-4 hours of sleep and have to be back at work the next day. I do it for me and my children because we deserve better than this. I take the anger [from this situation] and I turn it into success. I know my house is coming!”
Rasheeda says that the most important thing she’s learned from her Working Credit counselor, Jim, is discipline. “He told me to pay down my credit cards and to try not to spend. When you have credit cards, and you can’t use them, it takes real discipline. Even though I have them, I don’t touch them. Do you know how hard that is?” Rasheeda laughed.
Rasheeda continued, “Many thanks to Jim for telling me what I needed to do. I didn’t know what to do. He taught me how to dispute things on my credit report that shouldn’t be there. He gives good advice, and he’s patient, too! I’m just grateful for this opportunity. I couldn’t have done this on my own. Working Credit gave me the knowledge to get to where I am right now!”
Rasheeda is eager to achieve her goal of becoming a homeowner in the very near future. “I’m waiting to get the approval for the loan. I got my pre-approval. I’ve picked out my home. I’ve done the home inspection. We’re doing the appraisal, and I’m almost there. If the loan is approved, I’ll be moving in a few weeks!”
Rasheeda, you and your kids deserve the very best! Congratulations!
