Latraia’s Story

Consistency and determination are what got Latraia on her path to financial health. Like many people, Latraia needed financial coaching when someone told her about Sound Outreach. Latraia moved to the Pacific Northwest from Florida in 2019 looking for new opportunities. She had traveled and lived in a lot of places and was hoping to find a place to call home. She had a good job and wanted to start saving toward her goal of owning a house. She began saving money by living in a tiny home village. She had many interesting neighbors, and the shared “bathroom” was a 50-yard walk each way – in the rain, snow, sleet, and shine – but her determination kept her focused on having a yard of her own one day. As Latraia says: “You have to be selfish yet intentional in the intangibles.”

When Latraia came to Sound Outreach in 2021 she was hoping to improve her financial literacy and increase her credit score. To afford a home, she knew she needed to be more consistent when working on her monthly savings and budget. While meeting with her Financial Counselor, Brandon, she gained the knowledge and resources to begin meeting her savings and budgeting goals. She shared a quote from the book Small Loans, Big Dreams by Alex Counts: “Poverty was not created by poor people, but by the various institutions that limit their problem-solving abilities.”

What also changed for Latraia was self-discipline and the accountability provided by Brandon during their meetings. They would work together on setting goals and actionable steps to achieve success. She set up savings goals and was ready to jump when the opportunity came up to buy her first home in Kent! She is grateful for the guidance that she received from Brandon and the feeling that she always had someone in her corner to talk her through each step. Motivating her to stay focused. Plus, she now has her very own bathroom and backyard to enjoy! Now, she is interested in returning to school to continue her education with the goal of owning her own business one day so that she can give back to the community. She recently shared her personal story working with Sound Outreach at the annual luncheon and inspired the large audience to invest in the programs that helped her to change her outlook on life!