Thirty participants (43 percent) owned one or more homes, cars and a computer. Of the 20 participants without cars, 70 percent live in the cities of Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Of the 50 participants (71percent) that use computers (See Table X), 42 own or lease their own machines and 19 percent of whom do not own a car or a home. Furthermore, 56 percent of the 34 participants who received assistance prior to program entrance now own their own homes; 56 percent own their own cars and 50 percent own or lease computers.

For many participants, buying a “house” is an important goal. As Benny states: “My big goal now is to buy a house. I want to buy a house. That is why I am working very hard to get that. I want to give my family their own house to show my family that when we want to go on with our life, we can.” Della, Joy, Enid and Georgia who were on public assistance prior to program entrance regard the homes they purchased as symbols of accomplishment. Della says: “I have changed in a positive way. Instead of living in an apartment, I live in a house now.” Joy adds: “I purchased a home which I’m really proud of myself doing. I want to fix it up, but right now I can’t because of my financial status. Enid agrees: I own my own home. It’s hard making the payments, but I feel I’m doing pretty good. I’ve been here four years. It just makes me keep working all that harder.

Several participants have bought into the myth of a house with a white picket fence as an ind icator of success. Olive’s satisfaction rating on the QOLI in regard to her home was a 6+, the highest level possible. She compares her former dream to her present reality:

I always wanted a house with a white picket fence. Well, I have a house, no white picket fence. When I first went to work, I was scrubbing floors. Now, I have a full time job and I tell other people what to do. My next achievement is to own my own car, red with black upholstery.

John, who is attending college despite a spinal injury, is also looking forward to owning his own vehicle. He explains : “One of my goals is to one day have my own van and be driving all over the place. William who has achieved a great deal in his life provides us with an unsolicited before-and-after picture:

You can’t compare the apples and the oranges where I was with no future to where I am controlling my destiny and making life better for myself and others. I am married, two kids, nice house, a good wife and a good life. You just can’t compare the two.

Family Interactions

For most participants, a home of their own means much more than an emblem of achievement or a status symbol which others recognize. It is a critical element in preserving and enhancing family life for individuals whose former family backgrounds so often included abandonment, homelessness, scorn, abuse, rape, multiple marriages and divorces, and the untimely deaths of parents and spouses. As Anna says: “Our home is our refuge.” She goes on to explain that “closest to my heart and my family are my children.”

While a few children dropped by the wayside during the early troubled years experienced by many participants, the children and grandchildren that surround them today are for the most part sources of pride and symbols of success. Participants who worked exceedingly hard in later years to correct mistakes or overcome disadvantages encountered in their youth are determined that their children or grandchildren are not going to follow the same tortuous path. Arlene states it clearly: