Helen Ubinas: Former hard-luck mom takes care of her own

SINCE I started this column nearly two months ago, many of you have reached out to tell me about people I must meet.

I'm keeping a list, and plan to write about some of them.

In the wake of Gov. Corbett's spending plan - which doesn't look like it's going improve life much for everyday Pennsylvanians - I thought I'd start with someone who helps those most in need: Eudora Burton.

On paper, Burton is a housing specialist for an organization that connects first-time moms with nurses who come to their homes. It's called the Opening Doors program of the Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership.

That's a mouthful, so some moms she's helped prefer "miracle worker."

Burton, 58, is a relentless advocate for mothers who, without a helping hand, might be homeless. One of them is Asia Elliott, the young woman I wrote about who is living in a shelter with her toddler.

"I'm not sure where I'd be without her help," she said of Burton.

The job is personal to Burton. It's one for which she is uniquely qualified.

Burton married at 19. She and her husband, both from large families, had seven children. After separating, Burton raised the kids by herself on a cobbled existence of public assistance, low-paying jobs and volunteer stipends.

She almost lost her house. She struggled to keep the heat on and food on the table. She remembers how she and her children, who bagged groceries at a nearby market, combined their money to make ends meet.

"We'd sit down at the table, bring all our money together and hope there was enough to pay the bills," she said.

But what she remembers most is the bureaucracy she often faced when looking for help.

"I told myself if I could ever reach back and help somebody else, to keep them from all the red tape, all the closed doors, I'd do it."

She started with an ever-growing network that she's been building since she was the mother who needed help.

Years ago, she was talking with a school counselor about getting services for one of her sons who had a learning disability. She and her husband had just separated. She was overwhelmed.

"I could not talk without crying," she said. The counselor suggested a family-empowerment program.

"It changed my whole life," Burton said. Like the Nurse-Family Partnership program, it partnered her family with a home visitor.

The young woman assigned to Burton "bugged me," she says, laughing. "I say 'bugged,' but it was what I needed. She talked with me about my goals for my kids, and for myself. When you're in crisis, sometimes you feel stuck, paralyzed. You just need a little support, a push."

When Burton told the worker that she always wanted to go to college, the young woman wouldn't let her forget it. Burton eventually enrolled at Community College of Philadelphia. She later got her bachelor's degree at Peirce College and her master's from Capella University, where she is a Ph.D. candidate. She also remarried and had another child, who is 17 now.

It wasn't an easy or straight road. But Burton went from client to volunteer to employee at organizations she once sought help from.

She's helped hundreds of mothers in the program find safe, affordable housing. Most are referred to her from the nurses in the program. But every once in a while, there's a plea from people who heard she might be able to help. A front-desk employee at the Partnership's South Broad Street offices once asked if she could help a pregnant friend. Word of a miracle worker travels fast.

And just like she promised herself all those years ago, Burton tries to help.

"A lot of it is being creative," she said. "I may not be able to get you housing right away. But maybe I can find ways to absorb other expenses, like diapers, so that it frees up money for you to pay your rent.

"Whatever it takes."

Got someone to add to my must-meet list? Let me know. Send me your do-gooders, your only-in-Philly characters and your extraordinarily ordinary. I want to meet them all.