NASHUA – Graduation season during the COVID-19 pandemic looks much different than in years past. With large ceremonies postponed or moved online and graduation parties canceled due to social distancing, it’s easy for graduates to feel underwhelmed by their achievement. But not Christina, a local single mother who recently graduated from Nashua Community College’s Microelectronics Boot Camp after facing a lifetime of obstacles. “I’ve never finished anything in my life,” she says. “But that’s about to change.”

Christina is one of the young, single mothers in the Front Door Agency’s Transformational Housing program. After losing her mother at a young age and experiencing the challenges that addiction brought to her family, she took the right steps to break the cycle by working full time and enrolling in school. When she got pregnant and became a single mother at the age of 20, everything changed.

Despite working full time until she gave birth, she could not afford an apartment of her own. She moved into a friend’s spare bedroom with her 6-week-old son. “It was really stressful,” says Christina. “He was a brand new baby and I was a brand new mom.” Christina was motivated to go to school, work full time and support herself. She just didn’t have the support or resources to make it happen on her own. That’s when she found the Transformational Housing program, which offers more than just a place to call home.

Christina’s case manager helped her set goals and put supports in place, including childcare for her son. In addition to receiving affordable housing, case management and life skills training, women in the Transformational Housing program are expected to enroll in an educational or job training program with the goal of becoming self-sufficient.

“The services we provide to local mothers are made possible by companies and organizations invested in improving the communities where they do business,” says Rebecca Gagne, Director of the Transformational Housing Program. “We recently received a $15,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation who have supported the Agency for more than fourteen years. Support like this ensures that motivated mothers like Christina have the opportunity to improve their lives.”

“TD Bank is pleased to support organizations like the Front Door Agency that make a meaningful difference in their communities and provide local citizens with opportunities that would otherwise not be available to them,” said Sheryl McQuade, Regional President for Northern New England, TD Bank. “Christina’s story is inspiring and truly puts a face and story to the people we are able to help through our charitable contributions in the areas we serve.”

Christina graduated from the Microelectronics Boot Camp with an offer for full-time employment where, for the first time, she will receive a salary, benefits and have room for growth. “The support I received in the Transformational Housing program changed my life. I was held accountable, but able to work at my own pace toward independence,” Christina says. “The situations that myself and other moms are in when they come to the Front Door Agency do not reflect who we are as people. We all want good lives for ourselves and our children and this program gives us the opportunity to create that.”

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