Meet Duane
Not long ago, Duane was trying to find his footing.
Last winter, he lost his job with the carpenter’s union. But even with his skills, the 18-year gap on his resume meant he had to explain his past instead of focusing on his potential.
This is where 4-CT comes in.
Cash assistance provided Duane what every person deserves: breathing room.
“Knowing I was going to get a guaranteed amount of money every month…it eased my thoughts. I wasn’t scrambling,” he said. “It gave me the chance to be patient. The opportunity to be picky. To find a job that matched my skills and had room to grow—not just the first job someone would give to a guy with a record.”
With this stability, Duane could pay his bills, buy groceries and look for work he felt proud of—work that would allow him to help others while rebuilding his future. Now, Duane works at a residential program for young people returning home from detention. Helping each of them to find their own footing again just as he has.
Cash assistance provided Duane with resources, dignity, and a chance to decide for himself what came next.
Because of contributors like you, 4-CT is able to partner with community organizations, hospitals, and state and local agencies to reach people like Duane exactly when they need it—without red tape, without judgment, and without strings attached.
People who survive violence, displacement, or incarceration should be trusted to know what they need, when they need it, just like everyone else. They shouldn’t need to earn our trust. They already deserve it.
As Duane told us, “Coming home from prison, no matter how much time you did, you’re going into every situation with the cards stacked against you. [Cash assistance] gave me moments to breathe where I didn’t have to be so stressed out or hard on myself for losing my job. It gave me security and motivation to get to the point where I want to be. I learned patience. I learned to better manage my money. I saved knowing this [program] is going to end. And I appreciated that no one was telling me what to do with my money. You just wanted to see me succeed.”
Duane also is paying it forward. When his cousin welcomed her second child, and was struggling with the expenses that come with a newborn, Duane stepped in to help buy her eldest clothing for school. “If my needs are met, why not help the next person?,” he said.
Together, we can build a Connecticut where more people have the same opportunities as Duane, where dignity is honored, and people are trusted to know what’s best for their own lives.
