LaMetra Murdock understands the value of the programs she has helped administer at the city of Dubuque because her family benefited from them.
Hired at the city in 2020, Murdock has worked the past three years administering the Next Level Savings Program, which helps low-income people with a housing choice voucher take steps toward home ownership.
She recently became a homeowner in Dubuque, applying the financial tips that she learned to share with people in the program, from which she personally guided four people into mortgages.
“I didn’t know much about home ownership. I didn’t come from the background,” said Murdock, 45. But using herself as an example, she promised clients: “You, too, can change the trajectory in your life, and it can start with home ownership.”
Murdock is now the newest director of Dubuque’s Multicultural Family Center, which organizes events for the community and after-school programs for youth. Murdock replaces Antonio Mouzon, who became the city’s community impact director, overseeing the MFC and programs such as AmeriCorps.
“When she shows up, she shows up and executes what her community needs,” Mouzon said. “Having LaMetra as a member of our team makes us a more sustainable team.”
Murdock grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a working-class household. She said both parents worked hard and provided a warm home that made Murdock unaware that they did so with limited money.
“I didn’t know I was poor until I went to college,” she said.
She worked for the city of Chicago for several years after graduating from Illinois State University, helping homeless people find housing and helping older adults stay in their homes.
But high crime on the South Side took its toll, particularly in the Englewood neighborhood she had called home. A close friend found a safe place to raise a family in Dubuque, and Murdock followed her, uprooting her three children and making a new start in Iowa.
Murdock’s relationship with the Multicultural Family Center is personal. When she first came to Dubuque in 2016 as a single mother, she said, the after-school programs for her own children were a life-saver as she tried to get established, taking work at Hillcrest Family Services and later Prudential.
“The Multicultural Family Center was instrumental for me and my family,” she said. “My kids loved it.”
Today, the center still has regular social time for middle-school and high-school youth, as well as free meals and help with homework. She thinks the MFC can be promoted as “the hub of the community,” a go-to center for programs and activities.
“With every activity we do, we provide a safe space for them to do it,” said Caitlin Daniels, the teen empowerment coordinator. “I love having (Murdock) here. It’s been a breath of fresh air for sure.”
Murdock would like for the center to offer regularly recurring programming for adults, as well. She sees the MFC as an access point for members of the community to learn more about financial literacy and educational opportunities with Northeast Iowa Community College.
Compared to her role in the Housing Department, Murdock likes being able to have a broader reach to help more community members than just those eligible for a housing choice voucher.
“I’m able to reach more families,” she said.