“Looking back at what we went through and where we are today…I’m proud of that. We have stability now and a future,” Tarryn shared. A year ago, Tarryn and her two children were living in an apartment sponsored by UMOM Rapid Re-Housing as she worked toward strengthening her rental history and opportunities for employment. Today she is approaching her one-year anniversary as a full-time employee of Greystar in a Groundskeeping position at Cameron apartments in Tempe. Tarryn, a fast-paced learner and problem-solver, had previous experience working in an apartment community but needed an open door to opportunity. After working with Intersolutions staffing and Entryway (formerly Shelters to Shutters), she was able to get the support and assistance needed to get back on a path to economic independence.
Tarryn was very interested in staying in the Mesa area to provide educational continuity to her school age children with special needs. Cameron and Greystar management worked with Entryway to identify an appropriate, affordable apartment at their Genoa Lakes property. Tarryn’s family moved in on December 23, 2022, with the support of CORT Furniture providing donated furniture and housewares essentials to set up her new home.
Tarryn takes great pride in her ability to support her kids. When asked about what she sees for her future, Tarryn commented, “I want to continue to improve and go to the next step at work – working towards either a Maintenance Tech role or Leasing. I’m also focused on maintaining stability to be able to support my kids and make sure they are doing well at school and can go to college if they want.”
Working for Greystar, Tarryn most appreciates the family-oriented environment of working with her co-workers. “We motivate each other to do our work well and support each other.” She’s also taking advantage of the training classes provided by Greystar with Edge2Learn, the same training program she became familiar with while working with Entryway. Entryway utilizes Edge2Learn to assist participants with gaining multifamily industry knowledge and training prior to interviewing for employment opportunities.
Like many Entryway participants, Tarryn faced challenges but through hard work and perseverance was able to overcome them and change her life around.
“There are a lot of days as a Mom that I just have to make it work. My kids remind me that we can do it as a team. We motivate each other and we continue to better ourselves,” said Tarryn.