From Paycheck to Prosperity: Cherice’s Story

In 2023, Cherice was living in her car, earning an income through DoorDash and other gigs. A former foster youth who entered the system as a toddler, she was unsure she would qualify for help with Just in Time. She was wrong. “They were actually the only resource organization to accept my application,” she says.  

Through JIT, Cherice was matched with a coach who became both a friend and a lifeline. She discovered practical tools through JIT’s Financial Fitness program and found a supportive community. “As someone who grew up the way I did, a supportive community is hard to come by. When I say JIT supported me, I don’t just mean monetarily. I mean wholeheartedly, inclusively – emotionally and mentally.”  

Financial Fitness gave Cherice more than she expected: lessons on saving, spending, and the psychology of money. Her coach helped her adopt a “savings-focused approach,” putting aside extra income in good work weeks to cover lean ones, which made paying rent possible even with unstable income.  

By the time she completed Financial Fitness 102, Cherice had secured an apartment, built a rainy-day fund, and used stipends and matched savings to fix her car. “It’s the gift that keeps giving,” she says.  

Now, nearly a year into stable housing, Cherice has never missed a bill. “It’s organizations like Just in Time that helped me find my way, that said to me, ‘I am worth these opportunities.’ I don’t think anyone ever said that to me before.”