Alisha: A Mom Juggling Unemployment and Remote Schooling

As the primary caretaker of her 10-year-old daughter, Alisha chose to obtain work through temp agencies to have more freedom. A week before she was supposed to start a new placement as a mailroom clerk in March 2020, she got a call—her job offer was being rescinded, due to a rapidly spreading virus. Soon after, her daughter’s school started remote-learning. 

Alisha wasn’t too concerned. 

“I thought school would be closed for a few weeks and that I’d go back to work sometime in May,” she said. 

When her daughter’s school announced they wouldn’t be returning to in-person learning during the current school year, things changed. 

“It put me in a position where I couldn’t work,” Alisha said. “I didn’t have anyone else to care for her.” 

At first, Alisha struggled to receive unemployment benefits. With the help of some friends who gave her the contact information of people who worked for the government, Alisha was eventually able to receive benefits. 

When her daughter returned to in-person learning in the fall of 2020, Alisha started looking for work. Months later, she is still looking. 

“A lot of other people are applying for the same jobs,” she said. “I just have to keep trying and be persistent.” 

In the meantime, Alisha has used SaverLife to improve her finances—even while unemployed. She found out about SaverLife while doing financial coaching with The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston but didn’t become involved with the platform until the pandemic hit.  

“I struggled with budgeting, starting a savings account, and building credit,” she said. “I needed someone to help me get started and give me more information.” 

After getting more plugged into SaverLife, she opened a savings account. She now has $750 saved. 

“I try to leave it in savings and not mess with it,” she said. 

Alisha especially likes the SaverLife forums, where she learns financial tips and tricks and shares her knowledge with other SaverLife members. 

Right now, she’s working on establishing an emergency fund and boosting her credit score. She was approved for a credit card in the summer of 2020. 

“I’ve learned a lot from SaverLife about how to build credit by keeping the balance low and paying my monthly bill on time,” she said. 

She took the 2021 Tax Time Pledge and plans to use that to continue building her savings balance and start a college savings account for her daughter.