A 2017 CCTS Community Health Engagement Award (CHIA) winner, Shellie Layne, also an alum of the Individual Development Account (IDA) program, administered by the United Way of Central Alabama’s Financial Services Partnership, was recently in the news for the great strides she has made both personally and with her business, At Home Foundation.

The IDA program is a statewide initiative that offers qualified applicants the opportunity to save up to $2,000 of earned income that is then matched with up to $4,000. Participants can use this money to purchase a first-time home, pay for college, or start a small business. Layne used her savings to expand her nonprofit, At Home Foundation, Inc., which provides single parents and low-income women with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to perform basic home repairs; replaces worn-out appliances; and helps find temporary or permanent shelter for families in need.

Layne leveraged the success and expertise she gained via the IDA program into her CHIA project, WILAH (What I Learned At Home), which will promote self-sufficiency among 24 single, low-income mothers during two 12-week sessions. She received a $15,000 CCTS CHIA grant to support At Home Foundation’s programs, which “help build mental and emotional strength, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and independence, all of which are foundational for good health.”

You can read Layne’s full story, “Learning to Be Financially Independent Pays Big Dividends,” here. Learn more about the CCTS CHIA program and our five other 2017 grantees.