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Rozalia Skowron knows the value of a dollar and she has a photo album to prove it. The album is filled with photos documenting the construction of her condo in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood, which she purchased after participating in United Way of King County's Individual Development Account (IDA) program.

In one of the photos, a group of construction workers huddle together in front of a skeletal wooden structure, smiling into the camera despite the rain. It's a picture of the men that built her home and Rozalia is grateful for the time and effort they put into the project. As a small token of her gratitude she bought the whole crew coffee that day.

A refugee from communist Poland, Rozalia arrived in the United States in 1988. Over the last two decades in this country, Rozalia has achieved many hard won successes including mastering the English language and completing her bachelor's degree. Yet she struggled with money and lived paycheck to paycheck, sometimes relying on food banks to make ends meet. When she found out about United Way's IDA program, Rozalia decided to take the next step in building a better, more stable life for herself.

United Way's IDA program is a matched savings plan that enables qualifying people to build savings for the down payment on a home, starting a small business or continuing an education. Investors commit to attend classes to increase financial skills and to saving a minimum of $25 each month. Every dollar participants save is matched with up to three dollars by United Way.

"Learning about managing money was like learning a new language," remarked Rozalia. "After learning how to track my spending and stick to a budget, I realized I can manage my money. I can build wealth."

Now that Rozalia understands and respects her money, she does her best to take advantage of money saving opportunities whenever possible. This past winter she utilized United Way of King County's Free Tax Preparation Program to have her taxes prepared for free by trained volunteers.

"I'll definitely bring my taxes back to the Free Tax volunteers next year," said Rozalia. "The person that worked on my taxes was fast and knowledgeable. The best part is that my taxes were filed electronically right in front of me!"

Last fall Rozalia moved into her new condo. While she has achieved her IDA investment goal, the lessons she learned in the program have stayed with her. Every month she continues to pay herself first by setting aside a portion of her paycheck for savings.

United Way of King County knows that assets like owning a home and having a savings account provide a safety net for coping with unanticipated expenses and emergencies. Assets also help people build wealth and plan for the future. That's why we support strategies that enable people to build their incomes and obtain assets.

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