Lupita has doubled her income since she became a founding member of Eco-Care Professional Housecleaning back in 2001. WAGES trained Lupita in business skills and green cleaning, and she enjoyed her work as a cleaner and co-owner of the business. In 2005, she moved into a new role, and today, she uses Quickbooks and other computer programs and is responsible for her co-op’s customer service – all things she never thought possible. “Before helping to found Eco-Care, I thought that I wouldn’t achieve much more in my life. But thanks to WAGES, I began asking questions and became active and involved. And that’s not just true for me. Other Latinas like me have an amazing opportunity to feel secure and proud when they participate in WAGES’ training programs.”

For Lupita, the supportive community and stable job that the co-op provides have enabled her to give her four children the steady support they need. One son was the first in his family to go to college and has worked with troubled youth in San Francisco since graduating from UC-SD. Another, still in high school, has been winning his battle against cancer. “My co-op supported my request for a leave of absence when my second son was diagnosed with cancer,” Lupita says. “My husband’s employer, on the other hand, threatened to decrease his pay and reduce his hours if he took time off for doctor’s appointments. There is just no comparison. To be supported by a stable job with good pay and benefits is a dream.”