"It's OK to need help," Resources available for Boston parents struggling to earn living wage
BOSTON - Yanel Mejia thought she did everything right. "I went to get my bachelor's [degree], graduated with a major in criminal justice, minor in social work," Yanel said.
She earned a degree, started on a career path with work from home benefits, was a committed mother of two young daughters and yet, the numbers weren't adding up.
"It's definitely hard because you have different expectations because you think 'I went to school, I'm going to make decent money,' but times is just getting harder and harder," she explains.
Yanel was struggling with the living wage, defined as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. In Suffolk County, that number is sky-high. According to data from M.I.T., as a single income/single parent family with two children, Yanel would need to make almost $150,000 a year to meet the living wage.
"I don't even make nowhere near close to that," she said.
She's not alone. There are 17,000 single parent/single income families in Suffolk County. While housing is the main cost for individuals and one-child families, the burden shifts dramatically when there are two kids at home.
"It would take almost $45,000 for the whole year for my daughters to be in childcare," she said.
Thankfully there is help. Sharon Scott-Chandler is President and CEO of Action for Boston Community Development, or ABCD.
"ABCD is one of those comprehensive resources. We touch on and provide services for different parts of the need, so housing, education, fuel assistance, helping people to pay heating bills," she said.
Yanel applied for a child care voucher through a subsidiary organization and was accepted. The cost of her child care was covered entirely. "I almost cried when I got it. I was very happy," she said.
The help has made all the difference for Yanel. She's able to work, care for her girls, and share advice for others.
"It's OK to need help, because I think sometimes we feel ashamed if we need help. There are resources out there," she said.
You can find out more about the services offered by ABCD by going to bostonabcd.org or calling 617-348-6000. The subsidiary organization Yanel received her voucher through is Childcare Choices of Boston. You can reach it at cccboston.org or by calling 617-542-5437.
