Take Action with Shanna

Shanna Cox knows what it means to work hard and still struggle to find stability. As a young parent, she and her family did everything they were told was “right” — working hard, buying a modest home, and planning for the future. When the housing market collapsed, they fell through the cracks, facing rising costs, job loss, and uncertainty despite doing their best.
At 29, Shanna made the difficult decision to start over as a single parent with three young children. She worked nights to make ends meet, worried about stability, and learned firsthand how hard it can be to get ahead when systems don’t work the way they should. Asking for help through programs like MaineCare and Head Start didn’t make her dependent — it made it possible to work, build a career, and give her kids a more secure future.






