It can be hard to ask for help, especially when you’ve always been the person helping others.
Ed didn’t see a way out of losing the home he shares with his two teenage grandchildren when he turned to The Care Service for help. The 63-year-old took in Mia and Max as babies due to their mother’s drug addiction. Both were born addicted to heroin and have been challenged with developmental delays.
Careful budgeting allowed Ed to support the three of them on his social security and disability checks until his recent diagnosis of stage IV cancer. The treatments were hard on his body and the increased medical costs caused him to fall behind on his mortgage payments.
Ed immediately began working with a Care Service social worker, Jenny. Using funds The Care Service received from a General Motors grant and other grant sources, a payment was made to cover the past due mortgage balance so the family wouldn’t lose their home.
Jenny then worked with Ed to find a way to make his budget work while he continued his treatments. To help fill gaps in the budget Jenny helped Ed sign up for food stamps to stretch his grocery dollars and set him up to participate in The Care Service Food Pantry program which provides personal care items and cleaning supplies in addition to food. This was important for the family because those items cannot be purchased with food stamps. Jenny continued to look for ways to help stretch Ed’s budget. She made certain they received everything for a Thanksgiving dinner through The Care Service’s partnership with No Hunger Holiday. In December all three received Christmas gifts and food for a holiday meal as participants in the Adopt-A-Family Program.
With two teenagers, Ed sometimes had unexpected expenses that didn’t fit in his budget. When Mia’s retainer broke, Jenny found a resource to pay for a replacement. In August both Mia and Max started the school year with new backpacks and supplies. Then, the next spring, Ed had tears in his eyes as he told Jenny how hard it was for him to tell Mia she couldn’t go to prom because he couldn’t afford to buy her a dress. Knowing how important this was to both Ed and Mia, Jenny got to work. She reached out to her local network of resources for help and they responded by providing Mia with several new dresses to choose from and then giving her new shoes and jewelry to match. Photos of Mia that evening show a beautiful young lady with a huge smile on her face.
The Care Service’s assistance, support, and connection to resources were exactly what Ed, Mia, and Max needed during a time of crisis. Follow up calls with Ed show that he has been able to stay current on his mortgage and is following his budget to pay his bills on his own. Just as importantly, the family knows that they are part of a community that cares about them.