EMILIA'S STORY:

Emilia is a single mother of a 12-year-old son and a housing choice voucher holder. She has always dreamt of one day being independent without the need for rent assistance and providing her son with a bright future.

​

She had been seeking ways to move from her apartment to a place that would provide a safe environment for her and her son when she heard about a new program called SNO Mass (Supporting Neighborhood Opportunity in Massachusetts).

​

SNO Mass supports families with school-aged children use their Housing Choice Vouchers to move to communities that offer greater opportunity.

​

“SNO Mass had everything I wanted,” says Emilia. “It has given me the tools I needed to start on my path to independence and a better life for my family.”

​

The program provides a range of supports to help families to access and attain residential stability in higher opportunity neighborhoods – locations with high-performing schools, low poverty rates, and environments that have demonstrated positive health and well-being outcomes for children and adults.

​

“I definitely want to move on from my Section 8 voucher and I believe the SNO Mass program will be the reason I do that,” added Emilia. “I want to publicly thank my case worker Michael Black at Metro Housing who really fought for me. Michael and Metro Housing are responsible for me being where I am today. There truly is a God.”