Meet Maria

• Just left an 8-month stay in transitional housing
• Signed her lease on a 1-bedroom apartment with her teenage daughter
• Received: apartment keys, household essentials, budget worksheet, maintenance guide
• Works part-time and receives a small support payment
• This is her first apartment on her own in over a decade

It's month 6. Maria's apartment is clean, rent is paid, savings are growing, and her daughter is thriving in school. What did she do right?