Brianne Ogle sits on her living room floor sharing details of her life over the past 14 months, during which she has been part of United Way of Greater Knoxville’s East Tennessee Collaborative Program (ETC), which serves more than 740 families across 10 counties.  As she speaks, her almost three-year-old son chimes in to share details about a spider he saw. She pauses to pick up her five-month-old daughter.  

Brianne, a Blount County resident who lives below the federal poverty line, first learned about ETC from another single mother. At the time, she worked in a restaurant and was raising her young son, who has a physical disability. Her family is the reason she wanted to join ETC. 

“I want to get more stable and situated so that way I can feel better about being a mom and taking care of my kids, so I don’t have to be stressed out all the time,” she said. 

Funded by the Tennessee Department of Human Services, ETC empowers parents and caregivers living below the poverty line or those in a group known as asset-limited, income-constrained employed (ALICE) to overcome hurdles to reach financial independence. In Blount County, 37 percent of households fall into these two categories.  For single parent, female-headed households alone, that number climbs to 69%.  Statewide, 78 percent of single mothers fall below the ALICE threshold.  

Through ETC, participants have access to mentoring, career planning, basic needs assistance and skill enhancement to work toward goals around education and employment, financial security, and family stability and well-being.  Of the program’s 741 current and past participants across ten counties, 84% are single parents, most of them women. 

“There are a lot of challenges that our families face,” explained Kaki Reynolds, Senior Director of Economic Mobility at United Way of Greater Knoxville. “We’ve seen rents go up significantly since 2020 by as much as 56 percent in Knox County and about 20 percent in Blount County. Meanwhile wages and income haven’t matched that housing inflation, rising only 3 to 4 percent. Childcare is another challenge, as is transportation…The unpredictability of living paycheck to paycheck has a deep impact on people’s ability to cope.” 

These obstacles can feel especially insurmountable for single-income households like Brianne’s. 

Finding support  

When Brianne joined ETC she was paired with mobility mentor Becca Pace, a licensed master social worker at YWCA of Knoxville. ETC’s 22 mobility mentors come from community organizations across East Tennessee. They meet regularly with participants to set and work toward goals, troubleshoot challenges, and connect them to community resources, all toward the end of financial independence. 

Becca sees her time with participants as particularly important for mothers who often give a lot to others without taking the time they need for themselves. 

“I’ve attempted to be very intentional in my meetings that this hour is about you and how we can find your best self so that you can be your best self for your family, your future, and your kids,” she said. 

Brianne initially set goals around growing her savings, budgeting for baby items for her daughter, and sticking to a budget while on maternity leave–all of which she achieved. 

In conversations with Becca, Brianne, a self-described introvert, realized that she could not just focus on finances without taking care of her own wellbeing. Between managing her son’s medical care, caring for a newborn, and paying bills, she needed people to lean on. 

With Becca’s encouragement, Brianne joined and continues to attend weekly support groups at the Pregnancy Resource Center of Blount County, which has helped her navigate postpartum depression and the adjustments that come with being a mom of two. She also followed up with her doctor for important medical care.  

“Becca has helped me find my support people,” said Brianne. “I think that that’s an achievement, getting out of my comfort zone.” 

Across ETC, 78% of participants report their mental health has improved thanks to the program, from both broadening their support systems like Brianne and from alleviating some of the stressors that come with financial insecurity. 

The power of networks  

The decision to include wellbeing as one of ETC’s five key pillars is strategic. When parents and caregivers are struggling to make ends meet, they often shortchange their own health and forego relationships. 

“We find that we’re really able to make the quickest and most progress on those well-being pillars first,” said United Way’s Kaki Reynolds. “Our participants have to be well, and their families have to be well before they’re really able to take that next step towards self-sufficiency.” 

To help participants access community resources and networks, ETC partners with organizations across East Tennessee that provide a range of services from counseling to financial literacy and vocational training to afterschool care. In many cases, participants were unaware of these resources in their communities. Through ETC, United Way marshals a network of non-profits who each bring something unique to the table to serve those who need it most and collectively uplift the economic mobility, and wellbeing, of families across East Tennessee.  In fact, more than 80% of ETC participants report improved support networks thanks to their time in the program. 

With a support network in her corner, including ETC and mentor Becca, Brianne is taking bigger steps toward self-sufficiency. In August, the same week that she moved into a new house and her son started preschool, Brianne applied to Pellissippi State to study radiology technology. She will register for classes in the spring and hopes to one day be an ultrasound tech, a job that will sustain her family.  

“My goal is to be financially stable,” she said. “And then hopefully, I can get back and help people, because I’ve had people that were willing to help me along the way.”