Lili previously worked as a cleaner in the hospitality industry, where she was responsible for 16 large suites each day – 2 per hour, a backbreaking pace. Despite working full-time, she had no medical insurance and doctor’s appointments were a significant drain on her family’s income. Lili’s work schedule and the extra hours that her husband worked to supplement their income left her with little time to build new skills or enjoy time together as a family. One day, as she looked around at the single-room occupancy hotel room that she shared with her husband and eight-year old daughter, she knew she needed to find a way to change her family’s circumstances.

Lili joined Natural home Cleaning – WAGES’ East Bay cooperative – in 2007. Now, with the steady income and benefits offered by NHC, Lili feels more stable and confident, and her family was able to afford the move to an apartment, where her daughter was thrilled to have her own room. She shares that she is learning new skills and has appreciated how much the co-op’s year-end profit-sharing amongst members – along with regular work at a better pay scale and access to benefits – is enabling her to build her family’s economic security. When Lili looks to the future, she sees how her family’s stability, and the time she can spend with her daughter, is supporting her daughter’s success in school, opening up great possibilities for her future as she moves toward adulthood.