Success Stories

"I'm in awe of the families I work with," says MJ Walker, a case manager at Wellspring Family Services. She scans a list of a dozen families she's currently helping and stops to talk about a family of three - a mom, dad and a their 12-year-old son.

"I can't forget meeting them. I was especially concerned for their son. It was the holidays and they were living out of an old Chevy wagon. It's a time of year when there's added pressure - it's cold and everyone is celebrating, but not them."

A sudden health crisis launched this family into homelessness. Mom lost her job with medical bills piling up and no means to pay the mortgage. Dad had a part-time job that he could barely hold onto given his family's crisis.

MJ knew their son was struggling. He wasn't living his childhood anymore, he was constantly worried about his moms health, and unable to stay in school.

Immediately we were able to get this family inside and into a motel until housing was available. In just two weeks, MJ was arranging a move-in date and a moving truck with donated furniture for their new apartment. On December 31, 2009 this family moved back into a home.

Over the next 6 months MJ will continue working with this family to ensure they remain stable in their new home. She reports that their son is back in school and working hard to finish the school year; Dad is back up to full-time employment and Mom is seeing her doctor regularly.

MJ credits the success of her families to the hard work they put in - "I try not to view people in terms of their challenges and deficits, instead, I try to reframe it - to focus on all of the creative things families do with their resources and the skills they do have. I remind them that it is their strength as a family that makes the happy ending possible."