Wow - Time Flies ...
I have good news and better news. Getting ready to make the move. I got in touch with a case manager from Community Action New Mexico. We figured out that my IDA* won't transfer directly to New Mexico. BUT, I am eligible for an account there that I can start and fund with the money I currently have in my account here. The residency requirement is only six months, so I can expect to be house hunting within a year - and the good news? The match in New Mexico is 4:1 so that will give me an additional $1000 to use for my down payment.
The better news? The case manager and I chatted about my current job and she told me that if I'd send her my resume and samples of the work I've done here, she would introduce me to other people in the nonprofit community and see if we couldn't hook me up with someone who could benefit from my particular skills and ability.
She's offered me other help if I need it on a variety of issues and had suggestions for things I hadn't considered yet. At this point I've dealt with realtors, the Community Action people, school people, employment people ... you get the picture. And I have been made to feel welcome, treated like I'm a valuable person and offered answers to questions I haven't even asked. How COOL is that?
(Okay, I need to make it clear that I have absolutely no complaints about my caseworker here at Pikes Peak Community Action Agency, Sherry has been wonderful and supportive and helpful. But Sherry has been a rare exception to my Colorado experience.)
On the home front, I'm trying to decide when would be the very best time to tell my boss here that I'm leaving. There's been no more discussion of a raise, but we still have a couple days before June 1 so ... nah, I'm definitely not holding my breath.
Things are going well here at work. I'm continuing to grow the program. We have new clients, and good things happening. Sigh. I'm so proud of this program. I am seeing people in the office all the time who's lives are different now because of their involvement with our program, their relationship with our coaches, and the empowerment they've experienced over the past six months. How COOL is that?
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Anybody wanna help me with some research? It would be a matter of 30 minutes to an hour of your time. I need to compare prices on Rent To Own items from different rental centers around the country. I'd need someone to go to the store, and get prices and terms for 1) a television, 2) a computer 3) a refrigerator 4) a washer/dryer and 5) a dining room set. If possible, I'd need the name brands of the merchandise. Could you do it? Let me know.
Hugs and Love

*Individual Development Account - available in most cities across the country. This is a program that uses Federal Funds in combination with state and local resources to provide matching funds for lower income people to help them obtain assets. In most programs the participant saves up to $1000 of his or her money into an account and then the matching funds are made available when the asset is purchased. Participants also attend financial literacy courses, first time home buyer workshops, and other preparatory classes to help them prepare for proper management of the asset.
An IDA can be used to pay for education, business start-up, or as a down payment on a home. The amount of the match depends on the local agency. In Colorado it's 3:1, New Mexico 4:1 and I've heard that in Hawaii it's 9:1. You can find out whether there's a program in your area through the website www.cfed.org.
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