2024-25 ANNUAL REPORT 9 Data tells us what’s happening. Stories tell us why it matters. Portia’s journey after Hurricane Helene shows how coordinated, donor- supported services through Guilford Success Network help families regain stability after a crisis. Finding a way forward Portia left the hospital for a city still struggling to function. With a newborn who needed care and three other children depending on her, she started searching for what stability might look like next. Relief had begun to reach Asheville from elsewhere in the state. Volunteers from Guilford County delivered supplies west each weekend. One was Holly Broadwater, a coordinator with United Way of Greater Greensboro’s Guilford Success Network (GSN). She met Portia briefly during those early relief efforts. After Portia gave birth, the two reconnected to talk about the future. When Portia learned FEMA could assist families who needed to relocate, she secured funding for an Airbnb in Jamestown. That move placed her inside GSN’s network of coaches and partners — the point at which emergency relief began turning into a long-term plan. “My first interaction with Portia and her children together was very easy, because it was built on mutual respect,” Holly says. “I mainly listened to both mom and children. We discussed prioritizing her personal and professional goals for her family.” Portia arrived in Guilford County with a newborn and limited savings, relying on 211 for housing help and FEMA hotel vouchers when short-term stays expired. Guilford County Schools enrolled her children through the McKinney-Vento Act, arranging transportation from hotels to classrooms. “That’s what we did for almost seven months,” Portia says. GSN coordinated the next phase — housing searches, workforce referrals, school stability, and utility support — alongside partners like YWCA Family Shelter, Greensboro Housing Authority, Greensboro Urban Ministry, NC Works, and Goodwill. “Just someone to call and ask, ‘What can I do in this situation?’ It’s so helpful,” she says of Holly. “If she didn’t know the answer, she would find the answer and get back to me.” Housing proved to be the hardest hurdle. Portia transferred an emergency Section 8 voucher from Asheville and contacted landlords and realtors willing to consider her family’s situation while she rebuilt income. “Portia is extremely resilient and resourceful,” Holly says. “My respect for her was immediate after learning that she was also caring for her niece even though she had very little for herself and children. Portia’s incredible strength, determination and perseverance have been shown throughout her long journey, which made me want to assist her even more to reach her goals. Everything I asked of her as a GSN member, she was dedicated to doing, but she didn’t just rely on the program; she also did so much research getting to know resources within the community. We constantly discussed what peace looked like for her family.” Solving the housing challenge The work paid off, and Portia secured a four-bedroom house in a safe neighborhood. Utility assistance came through Greensboro Urban Ministry. Empty rooms now hold donated furniture. Holly sees Portia’s story as reflective of the families GSN serves — people whose lives change suddenly and who need coordinated help to regain footing. “UWGG’s GSN program is here to assist with layers upon layers of community connections,” she says. For Portia, the distance between then and now shows up in everyday ways — children doing homework at the kitchen table, a baby learning to walk, the quiet relief of a stable home. She is focused on the next step: moving toward full-time work once childcare assistance comes through and building savings through Greensboro Housing Authority’s Family Self-Sufficiency program. “My family is happy and safe. We lost everything, but now we have gained so much more.” 2024-25 ANNUAL REPORT 9
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