A Hard Week. A Way Forward.
Her father watched her children while she worked. Then he became seriously ill. In a matter of days, she lost her childcare and became his caregiver, too. She started missing shifts. Fewer hours meant less pay. Soon, she was behind on rent.
She was still showing up for work while caring for her family, but the margin that held the month together was gone.
Through Thrive@™Work, she connected confidentially with a Trident United Way Family Coach. Emergency assistance helped her catch up on rent before it turned into a housing crisis. Then the work continued. Her coach walked alongside her as she set goals, worked through barriers and built a plan for lasting financial stability.
Today, she is still in her home and still with the company.
Why the workplace matters
Her situation was personal. The pressure behind it is one thousands of Tri-County families feel.
ALICE® stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These families earn above the federal poverty level but not enough to afford the basics where they live. For a local family of four with two children in childcare, the basics cost $91,344 a year, leaving little room for childcare to fall through or a shift to be missed. Across Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties, 129,589 households, or 37%, live below the ALICE Threshold, including households in poverty.
That is why Trident United Way brings Family Coaching into workplaces. Employees may not be able to leave a shift or travel across town during the workday. Through Thrive@™Work, they can connect directly with a Family Coach virtually. The coach listens, looks at the full picture and stays engaged as the family works toward the goals it sets.
When funding is available and a family is eligible, emergency assistance can keep an immediate setback from becoming a crisis. Family Coaching continues beyond that moment, helping families get where they want to go.
The conversations stay between the employee and the Family Coach. The employer’s role is simple but important: make the connection possible.
From one pilot to a growing network
Banks Construction Company became the first employer to pilot Thrive@™Work. In the first year, more than 80 employees connected with support, and early data showed over 90% retention among those employees.
Today, eight employers have joined: Banks Construction Company; MUSC; the City of Folly Beach; Capital Services Group; The GEL Group; Johnson & Johnson, Inc., the Mount Pleasant-based wholesale insurance broker; Keel; and Make-A-Way Logistics. Together, they show that the same model can support locally owned businesses, a city government and one of South Carolina's largest employers.
“Thrive@™Work gives employers a practical, compassionate way to support employees when an unexpected financial challenge threatens their stability,” said Mac Hodgson, president and CEO of The GEL Group. “At GEL Group, we see this partnership as an investment in our people, our culture and the long-term strength of our workforce.”
That growth is opening more doors to Family Coaching. From July 2025 through July 2026, 249 families connected with a coach through Thrive@™Work. Each family began in a different place, but the approach was the same: stabilize the immediate moment, then stay engaged as the family works toward their long-term goals.
What a donor makes possible
Trident United Way’s goal is to uplift 15,000 Tri-County families out of poverty by 2035. Meeting it requires Family Coaching to be within reach in more of the places families already are.
Employers open a door to that support. Donors help make sure a Family Coach is there when a family reaches out and can stay engaged after the immediate need has passed. That ongoing relationship helps a family turn a moment of stabilization into a longer plan for financial stability.
For the mother whose father fell ill, the outcome was concrete. Her family stayed housed. She returned to work. And she continues building toward the goals she set with her Family Coach.
One hard week did not decide what happened next for her. It should not decide what happens next for thousands of other working families in our community.
Give a way for working families to keep one setback from becoming a crisis. Visit TUW.org/Give.
Employees can ask their human resources team whether Thrive@™Work is available or share this story with their employer. Employers can contact Ilze Astad, chief family stability solutions officer, at iastad@tuw.org or visit TUW.org/ThriveAtWork for more information.