Amber’s first experience with SNAP was in a homeless shelter in 1999. She entered a treatment program to deal with her drug addiction and was then moved into transitional housing. During her 16 months in that program, she earned an Associate of Arts degree in Special Education from Gonzaga University and began work regaining custody of her three children. After graduating from the transitional program, she obtained a Section 8 rent subsidy voucher from North East Washington Housing Solutions and started a savings account with their Independent Family Futures (IFF) program and later an Individual Development Account, a matched funds savings account, through SNAP.

In 2007, she was referred to SNAP’s Housing Counseling Program to explore possibilities and options for home ownership. By that time, she’d been employed in the same job for five years and had savings to apply toward a down payment. She participated in pre-purchase counseling, Home Buyer Education classes and obtained approval for the city’s Down Payment Assistance Program loan. Between her IFF savings, IDA savings and her cash contribution, she had more than $23,000 for a down payment. She was able to purchase a $132,000 home for herself and three children located in one of Spokane’s Community Development Neighborhoods. She graduated from Gonzaga and is now employed in a position where she is able to help others.