Even though Sarah grew up on the West Coast, she says Tulsa, Oklahoma is the biggest city she’s ever called home. The animal lover, and mother of two, enjoys seeing geese, turtles, and cows while visiting lakes and nature in nearby areas of Oklahoma. 

“When I was in California, we were always just in our town. We never traveled a lot,” she said.

Born and raised in California, Sarah and her family faced eviction and moved to Missouri to get support from family. When she was 19 years old, Sarah and her brother journeyed to Oklahoma.

In Tulsa, Sarah connected with Family Children Services and a program called Wraparound. At the time, she was experiencing homelessness and living with her brother, so when her son’s counselor told her about UpTogether’s approach, Sarah’s immediate response was, “Wow, yea. Sign me up for that!” 

Sarah enrolled in the Tulsa UpTogether Fund and used her cash investments to pay off previous housing debt, and not only secure a place to live, but to furnish it, as well. The most recent payment that she received went towards the purchase a full-sized bed for her 13-year-old son, who had outgrown his other bed. Sarah also says she has been able to save and even sets aside $300 each month for emergencies.

Currently, Sarah is taking online GED classes and says once she completes the courses, she intends to go to mechanic school to become a car mechanic. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since I was a little girl. I watched my brother work on cars, and I’ve always been intrigued. And I want to be able to fix my own car if it breaks down,” she said. “Maybe I could open my own shop, who knows? I could do something helping out single mothers with children.”