Financial

Back on Track assists hard-working families & individuals living in the Conestoga Valley School District impacted by an UNAVOIDABLE financial hardship.

There are a growing number of people described as “the working poor.” They are self-sustaining but barely getting by. As a result, all it takes is one sudden and unexpected incident to knock someone ‘off-track’ and into debt.

Back on Track provides one-on-one coaching and limited, one-time, financial assistance to those who qualify for the program. The vision of Back on Track is to equip our clients to be the champions of their own story.

As such, to protect the dignity of our clients, we use careful discernment in each individual case to differentiate between situations of RELIEF, REHABILITATION, & DEVELOPMENT.

  • RELIEF is an urgent, temporary provision of emergency aid to reduce immediate suffering from an unavoidable crisis not caused by chronic behavior or conditions. Relief is not meant to be a long-term solution. What happens when relief is provided in situations that don’t really require relief or no longer require relief? Something called ‘the downward spiral of dependency’ takes place for both the giver and the receiver. Ponder the following example:
    • Step 1- Grace gives $50 to Rob for the 1st time. Rob appreciates it greatly and Grace feels a sense of exhilaration because she helped Rob.
    • Step 2- Grace gives Rob $50 a 2nd time. Rob now anticipates it and Grace feels a sense of purpose.
    • Step 3- Grace gives Rob $50 a 3rd time. Rob now expects it and Grace feels necessary to Rob’s well-being.
    • Step 4- Grace gives $50 to Rob a 4th time. Rob now feels entitled to it and Grace feels essential to Rob’s life.
    • Step 5- Grace gives $50 to Rob a 5th time. Rob is now dependent on Grace and Grace feels vital to Rob’s existence (aka, paternalism).
  • REHABILITATION must begin as soon as the immediate suffering stops. Here, we move away from doing things for someone (aka- providing relief) to working with them to take steps to improve their situation. The goal is stability and self-sufficiency.
  • DEVELOPMENT is the process of on-going change. Like rehabilitation, development is not something that’s done to or for someone, but rather with them. The goal is a holistically flourishing life. Development is the ideal intervention for many experiencing chronic poverty in our nation today. Therefore, at CVCCS, we give our clients the option of being paired up with a personal mentor.