STOP Inc depicts the epitome of what its mission statement is. The organization reduces the effects of poverty by assisting low and moderate wage earners and economically disadvantaged residents of Eastern Virginia achieve self-sufficiency through program and service initiatives which encompass education, employment, housing and health for the improvement of their quality of life.
I had a situation where an employer asked me if I knew of any organization that could help her employee maintain her home for her and her young child. Immediately I thought of STOP INC. The result was that STOP INC was able to give her financial and budgeting training, the organization awarded assistance to her to pay her security deposit and first month's rent so that she and her son could move out of the shelter where they had been for almost 90 days. STOP INC also was able to connect her to a local before school and after school daycare facility to watch over her child, as she had to report to her current job by 5am each day. The transformation in this young woman was almost immediately noticeable. She felt confident in the care being giving for her son, and she felt very confident in being able to maintain a safe, clean home for her and her son. Without STOP INC, this young woman would have lost her job due to not showing up on time, she would have not been able to move out of the shelter into a family home, and she would have been unable to provide the basic life necessities for herself and her son. STOP INC was successful in allowing this young woman to become a confident employee, mother, and productive citizen of the community.