The ultimate case manager

A personal trainer, so to speak, Tiera Parker helps women reshape their lives

When women arrive at her office, Tiera Parker is upfront about the importance of being dedicated to personal success. “I tell them in our initial case management meeting, ‘I can’t work harder than you.’”

Tiera Parker PHOTO BY: LAKAMAR AUSTIN

Recently promoted to case manager of Women in Transition, a division of the YWCA of the Central Carolinas, Parker helps empower women through on-site resources, support services and connections to partnering agencies. Whether women are transitioning from divorce, homelessness or referred after completion of a recovery program, WIT assists participants on a case-by-case basis.

“I really just try to encourage every woman that I serve here at the YW to let this be what it’s for, a launching pad to kind of reboot and recharge,” Parker says.

A fee-based program, WIT rents rooms to each of its participant for as low as $310 per month. While the YWCA is largely funded by the United Way, fees collected from the WIT program are specifically used to maintain it.

Intrinsic within the program is assistance with budgeting and housing stability. Parker meets with women to aid in tracking expenses, debt management and credit report analysis. In conjunction, she works closely with the Charlotte Housing Authority to connect participants with income-based housing opportunities; 94 percent of program participants are placed in permanent housing.

Whether it’s obtaining a higher-paying job or getting them enrolled in college, Women in Transition uses a holistic approach to moving approximately 100 women each year to more solid foundations. Upon graduation, the program employs an open-door policy and encourages each woman to continue to visit and use the resource center or schedule monthly meetings with their case manager.

In 2012, Parker initially moved to Charlotte to be closer to family while seeking to work for an organization with strong family values and deep-rooted involvement in the community; with WIT she has found that she is receiving so much more.

“Any one of us can be transitioning at any given time and you know we all need someone to stand with us and support us for any given season in our lives, and I feel like that’s what Women In Transition is about,” says Parker. “And that for me is the exciting part about being able to work here.”