Nowadays, many people find themselves commuting 2 to 4 hours each day to work and back. This causes a lot of distress, especially if you are a teacher. Your day does not end once the students leave home—it begins. Getting lessons ready for the next day, grading assignments or parent-teacher conferences can be very draining, not to mention the thought of having to commute 2 hours to get home after your day is done. The cost of living, especially in the Bay area, has risen and many seek housing in rural areas. But thankfully there are programs like HIF’s Affordable Housing Initiative, which connects teachers and non-profit workers to affordable housing, saving up to 50% in rent. These programs are a big part of what helps keep teachers like Erika stay housed with a teacher salary and able to maintain a good life and stay focused on what’s important. Erika shared with us her story and how this program has helped change her life and gave her more motivation to keep giving what she can to her students.
“I want to express my most sincere gratitude for your donations. I would like to share my experience and the positive impact so far of having an apartment. I am an elementary teacher in Mountain View. I love my job; it is such a rewarding job, but it requires a lot of energy. By the end of the day I am exhausted and the only thing I want to do is to get back home as quick as possible to recharge. For several years, I was not able to do that since the area I could only afford to pay for an apartment, with a teacher’s salary, was in the south bay, which meant that I had to commute for an hour during rush hour, in the mornings and afternoons.
Living so close to my work has impacted my energy level in a positive way. I am not stressed or tense dealing with traffic for an hour after school. I am more willing to stay to night events in school and be part of the community I serve.
I want to thank you for making this possible. Having a nice and quiet apartment to get to, after work, is so rewarding. I have created a safe and relaxing space for myself; I am happy to call this place home. Now, I get to work on lesson plans with a more positive attitude and serve my students much better! Thank you for contributing to this program and making a teacher happy.”
