“Every time I would make money it would knock her out of her programs,” said Ms. Mattingly, who was living off $600 a month from child support and Social Security, with a $300 monthly electric bill due to faulty wiring she couldn’t afford to fix, she was desperate for help.
She went to downtown Temple to get food stamps for her daughter, only to find out she wasn’t eligible because they received too much child support and Social Security income. While she was there she saw the sign for the Bell County HELP Center. Her life changed when she stepped through the door.
Hope for the hopeless. That is what the Bell County HELP Center offers needy Central Texans.
The staff helped her by providing food and money to help pay her power bill by enrolling her in an electricity co-pay program where the HELP Center covered 90 percent of her bill, gradually stepping down contributions until Ms. Mattingly can get ahead.
Judy Morales, director of the Bell County Temple HELP Center, said the center is in the business of helping people with emergency needs. The center also helps get people on track to earn a G.E.D. or college degree.
She said much of their clientele have major health challenges or are senior citizens.
“We take each case-by-case and try to determine how to help,” Mrs. Morales said. “We also connect them with other resources.”
When Ms. Mattingly’s daughter turned 18 and qualified for more federal assistance, she was finally able to go back to work. She also took classes at Temple College and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health information management from American InterContinental University Online.
She remembers how the staff at the center opened her eyes to financial planning and aid programs. She learned to get by without “having to beg, borrow and steal.” She took financial awareness classes and learned how to set a budget and to save.
She was amazed how the staff seemed to find a way to overcome all of her financial problems.
“They’re just awesome,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what the problem is. They find a way. They never turn anyone away.”
And she appreciated how they weren’t there to give handouts. They provide just enough help to get people back on the right track, she said.
“They believe in paying it forward,” she said. “They want to help you stand on your own feet. That’s just an awesome feeling. You are hit with these bills every month. They broke the cycle. They make you feel like you can conquer the world when you walk through those doors.”
Mrs. Morales said most of the center’s funding comes from federal and private sources, and the center is required to spend those funds in a specific way.
The United Way is a major contributor and its funds are more flexible, which means they get to buy anything - from G.E.D. workbooks to food.
kchandler@temple-telegram.com
