Kathy was the maternal grandmother of four young children whose mother was diagnosed with a rapidly-progressing terminal illness. These children ranged in age from 9 months to 13 years old. The father was only peripherally in their lives. Kathy and the four children faced much uncertainty as to what...

One day William was in the courthouse searching for help. His previous wife—the mother of his young daughter—had left their child home alone that day, disappearing on a binge. At the time, William could only see his daughter one night per week under the custody agreement and even paid...

When Mr. J was laid off from his job as a union laborer, life unraveled for him and his family. They lost their home. Mr. J, his wife and three children moved into an emergency shelter. Both parents desperately looked for work. If there was light at the end...

Ms. R was a human rights worker in her native African country. She worked for a non-profit organization, traveling the land to help displaced families and former child soldiers. Her efforts drew the ire of rebel groups and corrupt government officials, who often harassed and attacked her. Ultimately, she...

When a driver came to pick up Mr. D for his daily trip to Fr. Tolton Center, he found the elderly man on the floor of his home. He had laid there for 18 hours, having fallen the day before. Mr. D went by ambulance to the hospital, where...

Mr. J first came to St. Francis Community Services for help with an electric bill. He was unemployed for the first time in more than 30 years and could not keep up with all his financial obligations. His search for a job had been discouraging. Out of the market...

Ms. F is an Army veteran whose family life came apart at the seams. She separated from a husband who was verbally abusive and controlling. When their 8–year-old child visited him during the week, he insisted on bringing her back at 5:30 a.m., even if she had school that...

Like many of her friends in the social support group at St. Francis Community Services, Mrs. R had seen her share of hardships in life. But nothing prepared her for the sorrow she would endure when her son died. She was consumed in grief when she went to the funeral home...

Mr. B’s beloved 95-year-old father was in rapidly declining health. Alzheimer’s disease had robbed him of the capacity to make crucial decisions. Mr. B needed to take responsibility for his father’s health care. But he did not have the legal authority to make decisions on his father’s behalf. Services...

Brandon, a high school sophomore, immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was in the third grade. Ever since he could remember, his father berated and physically abused his mother. The cycle of violence finally stopped when his mother found the courage to leave with her children...