Facing Adversity Head-on

Allegheny County Department of Human Services
Self Sufficiency Awardee from North Hills Community Outreach

Beth Enyart

Adversity can arise at the most inopportune times. For Beth Enyart adversity had continued to insert itself into her life for more than ten years. Beth was involved in a strenuous relationship and the need for consistent childcare and steady employment became inflamed when her home was slated for foreclosure and a sherriff's sale. She knew there had to be a better way of life for herself and her daughter Paige. Upon connecting with North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO), a subcontractor of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Beth found out that she was right. Life can be better.

Immediately the staff of NHCO worked with Beth to secure her housing and avoid the termination of utilities. Beth then began to outline her short and long range goals - she wanted to find permanent employment so that she could pay her monthly expenses and provide a better life for her daughter. NCHO also helped her to address the biggest obstacle in her life - a ten year difficult relationship.

The relationship had sunk Beth into a deep depression and she contemplated ending her own life to escape the pain and embarrassment. Thankfully self-determination won and Beth sought the help of her caseworker at NCHO. The agency helped Beth get counseling and develop a plan to remove herself, both physically and emotionally, from the dysfunctional relationship.

NHCO's Case Management Program helped make Beth aware of all of the options that were available to her and let her make the choices that would affect her life. Beth began to realize that she was a strong woman who had a lot to offer. She found out that she could rely on herself and was determined to rise above the adversities she faced. The goals she set were not the agency's, they were Beth's. Her case manager provided encouragement and positive reinforcement and stood beside Beth during the darkest time.

Through determination and effort, Beth was able to find stable employment as a sales representative for a local beverage company. Her job gives her a steady salary that is 300% of the federal poverty level and the opportunity to earn quarterly and yearly bonuses. She no longer relies on state or local subsidies for medical care and food stamps. Nor does she need the assistance of charitable organizations to provide a consistent life for Paige. With NCHO's guidance Beth has reached her other goals - purchasing a car, renting a house and paying her monthly expenses on time.

"I try not to think where I would have ended up without the help and assistance from North Hills Community Outreach," says Beth. "I always knew in my heart that I could get my life back if I just had someone to believe in me. Melissa [her NCHO caseworker] was that someone who believed that I could pull through."

North Hills Community Outreach is a contracted agency of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, the Community Action Agency serving Allegheny County outside of the city of Pittsburgh