In the past month, we had a single mom reach out to us. This parent is actively seeking a job and parenting three children, all while having to navigate the mental and emotional challenges of postpartum depression. She was seeking referrals for mental health services, emotional support, and respite hosting.
The Circle of Support we were able to put together for her includes a Family Friend, a Host Family to provide one weekend of respite hosting for each of the next two months, and a staff Family Coach.
In our time supporting her so far, she has had to move into a new place and get her car window fixed. Our staff has made referrals for her to receive mental health services, as well as find in-person parenting support groups. She is looking for work and has been attending job fairs that her Family Friend and our staff have been finding for her.
This past week, we were also able to cover an old, outstanding gas bill for this parent that was threatening to impact her new housing situation. She shared her gratitude to our staff, mentioning that this ‘clean slate’ allows her the energy and breathing room to find steady employment needed to pay for new bills.
While we are not always able to cover financial needs like this, we seek to use a portion of our budget each year to meet urgent/emergent needs for our families. We are grateful to be able to meet concrete needs when we have trust with parents and feel confident that our relational support can be bolstered and strengthened by removing a concrete obstacle.