A Path to Home: How Working Bridges Helped Saidou’s Family Thrive
When Saidou Zongo arrived in Vermont from West Africa in 2023, he, his wife, and their three young children were starting over in a new place, in a new language, and making a 2-bedroom apartment in Burlington work for their family.
“When I came here, I didn’t speak English,” Saidou said. He began taking English classes at Mercy Connections and later through Vermont Adult Learning. In Burkina Faso, West Africa, Saidou taught biology. In Vermont, he found a position in Custodial Services at the University of Vermont (UVM), where employees can take courses for free.
As Saidou and his wife balanced work and caring for their children, their family grew. After welcoming their fourth child in Vermont, they became a family of five sharing that 2-bedroom apartment.
“It was very hard,” Saidou shared, explaining how neighbors complained about his children playing and making noise.
He wanted a stable home where his children could have space to be kids and where his family could put down roots in Vermont.
Saidou’s supervisor connected him to United Way’s Working Bridges program. As a Working Bridges employer partner, UVM’s Custodial Services staff have access to an on-site Working Bridges Resource Coordinator who helps employees navigate systems and community resources so they can solve challenges that get in the way of work and family stability.
Through Working Bridges, Saidou learned about Champlain Housing Trust’s shared equity program, which can make homeownership possible with a reduced mortgage and no down payment.
Saidou works the night shift, and he and his wife alternate schedules so one of them can be home with their young children. The shared equity process involved many steps—pre-approval, financial documents, classes, and deadlines. Saidou says he could not have completed it without support.
“Working Bridges helped me a lot. Every time I got a new paper, I would bring it to them,” Saidou said.
In December 2025, Saidou achieved his goal: he and his family bought a 3-bedroom home in Burlington. It’s close to his work and within walking distance of the elementary school his older children attend. The move also improved their financial stability. Their mortgage now costs $300 less per month than the rent they were paying.
“Now my kids can run and they can play. They have their own space. I’m very, very happy,” said Saidou.
Working Bridges Resource Coordinator Hayley Shriner said working with Saidou has been a pleasure. “When he needs help, we just make a plan and do the work together,” she said.
For his part, Saidou wants others to know that reaching out for support can make big goals feel possible, especially for people who are new to Vermont and navigating unfamiliar systems.
When he talks to friends who immigrated to Vermont and feel overwhelmed at the prospect of becoming a homeowner, he tells them: “Yes, it can be very difficult if you don’t know someone to help you. But when I don’t know how to do something, I find a good person to help me do that.”
Stories like Saidou’s show how Working Bridges supports working families—meeting them where they are, helping them navigate complex systems, and connecting them to trusted community resources—so they can build stability and thrive.