STORIES

After her rental caught fire, Lynn* found herself and her teenagers in a hotel room. The insurance company was paying for the hotel, but only for a short time. She came to CAA looking for housing support in a time of crisis. Her case manager was able to connect her with a landlord that had an available, affordable rental option and was willing to work with our program. When she first came to CAA, Lynn had a job waiting tables at restaurant, they were slow through the late win

James* was sleeping on a friend’s couch in Williamsport we received a referral for him. He could only stay with the friend for a few more days before he needed to find yet another place to land. When he met with his CAA case manager, he hadn’t worked a steady job in almost a year and was struggling to see a path toward stability. James’s ultimate goal was to find his own place so that he could get a job and have his kids come visit. Growing up in a family of 6 siblings, he ha

In September 2024, Matthew* reached out to CAA for help with his water bill. A family of three, Matthew's son was the only member of the household with income, but it wasn't enough to sustain the bills and basic needs of all three of them. The family was nearly three months behind on rent, and nearly a year behind on some utilities, with no way of catching up. Initially, Matthew declined rental assistance and wanted help only with utilities. But given the family's situation a

In January of 2022, Ian* was dropped off by police at a hotel in Lewisburg. Twenty-six years old and struggling with a mental health diagnosis, Ian was estranged from his family and had no place to turn. He was referred to CAA, where a case manager was able to secure housing, rental deposit, and utilities for Ian in order to get him out of the hotel. Ian's case manager worked closely with him to find the other kinds of support he needed, including consistent appointments with

In January of 2024, April reached out to CAA in need of urgent housing support. April, a federal employee in Veterans Services for 20+ years, had a traumatic background of domestic violence and unsafe housing conditions. In January, April found herself in yet another dangerous living situation, sharing a home where her belongings and safety were threatened. Due to pending charges, April was unable to receive Section 8 housing, so she connected with a case worker at CAA who wa

In November 2022, CAA received a heartwarming update from a customer who was working with us over two years to achieve his goals of self-sufficiency. Kevin* was among our first customers to receive assistance from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), instated by the Federal Consolidated Appropriations Act, also known as the second Congressional COVID-19 relief package. The program is administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS). Kevin's email to his CAA c

L to R: Carol Mausteller, Work Ready Coordinator; Karen Reber, Adult and Parenting Coordinator; Dale Kratzer; Haleigh Lapp, Family Coordinator “You'd be surprised at how many people told me I’m too old to get my diploma,” remarked Dale Kratzer of Port Trevorton while celebrating the good news that he passed his HiSET tests last week with CAA staff. Dale, 62 (“and a half”), checked another thing off his bucket list this winter after he passed his HiSET tests with flying colors

Union-Snyder CAA, home of Snyder County Veterans Affairs, is honored to have become the Home of Honor for a local WWII Veteran’s Purple Heart on Thursday, November 1, 2018, at 1:00 PM. In July 2018, a local veteran came into the Union-Snyder CAA office with a framed Purple Heart; his daughter had located it and wanted to see if it could be returned to its rightful owner. To initiate the search, CAA’s Director of Veterans Affairs, Tony Korzenaski, contacted Purple Hearts Reuni

Monica, 23, is a vibrant, determined, and passionate mom of two little girls, Kinley, 5, and Harleigh, 2. After five years of attending CAA services off and on due to barriers like transportation and childcare, she passed her GED test and is making plans to go to nursing school. Her career choice is not one that she takes lightly; Monica’s hardships throughout her life has inspired her to pursue an occupation that will help others in ways she wishes she had growing up. Monica

Ruth Emery, 35, at her job at rabbittransit Meet Ruth, a 35-year-old single mother of three beautiful little girls. In August of 2013, Ruth started a job as a caretaker for a young man who was confined to bed. She absolutely loved her job and knew from the very beginning that she wanted to dedicate her career to helping others as a nurse. As Ruth was making plans to enroll in nursing school to earn her degree, the unexpected happened. On July 15, 2015, Ruth suffered from a s

Keysha, 23, first came to Union-Snyder CAA in March 2018 for help with obtaining her GED to pursue a career in nursing. Adopted into a Mennonite family as a baby, she was raised in a home that prioritized work and family over education; her formal education stopped at 8th grade when it was time to enter the workforce. Keysha had no plans to attend college or build a career for herself. “The only expectation for me was to settle down and begin having kids at 18 or 19 years old

Shamokin Dam resident and WWII combat veteran, Glenn Hooks, first came to Union-Snyder CAA in April 2018 to meet Snyder County Veterans Affairs Director, Tony Korzenaski, for assistance with filing a claim through the VA. What began as an average appointment quickly became much more as Mr. Hooks’ infectious personality and engaging stories took hold of Korzenaski. Inspired, he asked Mr. Hooks to share his service experience with CAA staff in honor of the Memorial Day holiday.

In October 2017, a family came to Union-Snyder CAA seeking emergency housing and employment support. One spouse suffered an injury and was unable to work for a period of time. The other spouse was job searching but had not yet obtained employment. As a result, they lost their housing and ended up staying with family. Space quickly became a concern for the multi-family household, and the couple became homeless, living in a tent in our community. The couple was connected with H