Lottery winner finds home in Worthington

Mar. 20—WORTHINGTON — By the time most people reach the age of 65, they're looking forward to retirement — a slower-paced lifestyle and more time for travel or hobbies.

That cannot be said for Htay Htay Win Than, who just celebrated her 66th birthday on Friday. She wants to work another 20 years. She wants to earn money.

She wants to support herself.

In August 2022, Than was living in Myanmar (Burma) when she won a Diversity Visa through a lottery system from the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Burma, making her eligible to permanently relocate to the United States. She had lost both of her parents, one in 2019 and the other in 2022, and it was their dream for her to move to the U.S. for a better life.

Than arrived in Minnesota on April 26, 2023 without any family to greet her. A job offer at JBS brought her to Worthington.

After nearly a month working on the ham line at the local pork processing facility, Than realized the job was too strenuous for her and she'd need to find other employment.

"I like to stay in Worthington," she said.

In her native Myanmar, Than had a successful career before leaving the workforce in 1994 to care for her aging parents and an aunt. She graduated from high school in 1973 with distinction in math, with other subjects including Myanmar, English, chemistry, physics and biology, and then graduated with distinction with her bachelor's degree in economics in 1979.

Than worked as a cash officer at the Post and Telecom, the local telephone company in her homeland, for 13 years. She enjoyed the work, but her parents needed her.

During the years she cared for her parents, Than watched as some of her extended family secured visas to come to the United States. She has family living in California — including a nephew who earned a visa to attend college in the U.S. — and hopes they will get to see each other someday.

Worthington, though, is her home.

She arrived here last April with two suitcases containing everything she owned. JBS found housing for her, but when she had to quit that job, she moved in with a friend — another Myanmar native.

Than is still staying with that friend, though she's been on a waiting list for an apartment for the past several months.

"They are my best friends," she said of two local Myanmar natives who help her with translation and transportation.

Eh Klu, who has lived in Worthington for more than a decade, encouraged Than to apply for work at Walmart, where both now work though usually on different shifts and in different areas of the store. Klu keeps the shelves stocked with products, and Than is the smiling face at the front of the store, greeting people as they come in and as they leave.

"I like it," she said with a grin.

"I give her rides and her other friend," said Klu. "We help each other.

"She don't have much experience here, and we know what she's supposed to do (at Walmart) so we help her out quite a bit," she added.

Than also received help and support through Nobles County Community Services and the Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council.

When she arrived in Worthington as a refugee, she obtained help through the county's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and was referred to the Private Industry Council (PIC) for assistance with finding a job.

Amy Khamphanh, a PIC senior career specialist in Worthington, assisted Than with completing job applications.

"Walmart called her pretty quickly," Khamphanh said. With Walmart's electronic forms, she also assisted Than with completing her background check and other information her new employer needed.

"We can help with transportation too," Khamphanh said. She worked closely with Than for a couple of months to ensure everything was going well.

"(Than) was working full-time, and eventually her food stamp case closed because she was over income and self-sufficient," she added. "She had such drive and motivation to work — she was just so excited to work."

In Minnesota, Khamphanh said individuals can only get three months of food stamps in a three-year period. With Than's age, she wouldn't have needed to meet that requirement, but she wanted to work and didn't want to rely on a government program for her food.

"I take care of myself," Than said proudly. "In my country it's very poor — no good food. I got money (now) — money is very good."

She likes Worthington for its lake, the trees, a local population of Myanmar natives, access to food familiar to her and the ability to attend worship at the Buddhist temple south of town.

For all of the things that have helped her to assimilate to life in America, though, she misses her family every day. She still has a sister and two brothers in Burma, as well as extended family.

Than said she hopes to get her niece to come to Worthington on a student visa to attend community college. She also wants to get her own apartment soon. Once she has an established address, she intends to start working toward her U.S. citizenship. She has set a goal to obtain it within five years.

The Southwest Minnesota Private Industry Council, with a CareerForce Center in the Nobles County Government Center in downtown Worthington, spans a 14-county area and assists communities, businesses and individuals with workforce needs. The non-profit organization assists job seekers of all ages and backgrounds to find meaningful careers, shared Khamphanh.

CareerForce locations in Worthington, Marshall and Montevideo offer employment and training services, business services, and youth career support.

"We advocate for the low-income, underemployed and undereducated, and strive to be leaders in developing a world-class workforce," Khamphanh said.

Individuals on SNAP who can work and do not have children in the household are referred to the PIC by county offices for job search assistance, information on training programs and financial resources to get and keep a job.

Khamphanh said individuals are time-limited, and the state will only provide SNAP benefits for a short amount of time. Participants who meet certain exemption criteria, such as being over 60 years old, homeless, unable to work due to physical or mental health conditions, domestic violence, etc., are not time-limited. The county will not refer these individuals to PIC unless the participant requests assistance with employment and training services. Such was the case with Than.

"SNAP Employment and Training is a voluntary program for all participants," Khamphanh said. "SNAP benefits are unaffected if they choose to "opt-out" and not meet with an employment counselor for these resources and activities."

Since July 2023, approximately 25% of participants referred to PIC from Nobles County have enrolled in employment services, she noted.

"Of these individuals, at least 40% have successfully secured employment upon exiting the SNAP program," Khamphanh shared. "However, it's worth noting that these figures may underestimate the true impact of our efforts, as some participants relocate for work or fail to report back upon finding employment."