Client Success Stories
Mr. Bell’s Story | Vistas ™: Services for Older & Challenged Adults
Mr. Bell sits under a worn blanket on a couch in his small, sparsely furnished public housing apartment. A year ago, he faced eviction due to his apartment’s unsanitary condition. Limited by near blindness and age, Mr. Bell was virtually incapable of recognizing, or rectifying, his deteriorating living circumstance.
“I don’t know what I would have done,” Mr. Bells says. “I don’t have people here; most of my friends have passed away.” Without a local support system, he faced the real possibility of becoming homeless.
Then Families First entered the picture. As a client of our Vistas eldercare program, Mr. Bell now has a social worker, a care team assistant and a volunteer on his side—visiting his apartment regularly to assist with cleaning and cooking, and to monitor his well-being. With the help of the Vistas program, Mr. Bell has resolved the threat of eviction and now enjoys a better quality of life.
The Vistas program provides a critical source of personal contact for debilitated adults who live in near isolation. Mr. Bell looks forward every week to the visits from his care team. “They’ve contributed quite a lot of companionship to my world,” he says, smiling. “They’ve been an immense help to me.”
Learn MoreKaliah’s Story | Family and Individual Counseling
“If it hurts your mom, it hurts you.”
This is how 9-year-old Kaliah explained life under the same roof with her mother’s abusive boyfriend.
Kaliah’s mother came to Families First seeking help through the Alternatives to Domestic Violence program. At the time, Kaliah began meeting regularly with a Families First counselor.
Initially, the soft-spoken girl seemed reluctant to share anything about her life at home. However, as she came to trust her therapist, Kaliah found words to express the difficult feelings she had suffered.
Kaliah’s mother has since ended her abusive relationship. Recently, Kaliah’s therapist asked her what life is like at home these days. Kaliah’s big, brown eyes lit up and sparkled. Her answer was simple—
“Safe.”
Dana’s Story | Family Loan Program
“All I needed was one chance . . . one person to say yes.”
Three years ago, Dana faced a pile of unexpected medical bills and the possibility of losing her car. As a single mom with a newborn son, losing her only mode of transportation would be a devastating blow.
Determined not to let that happen, Dana applied for loans with a handful of banks, but was repeatedly turned down due to her low credit score.
Without a car, Dana had to give up a job she enjoyed in the suburbs, to settle for lower paying work closer to the bus line.
Embarrassed by her circumstances, Dana told friends at work she’d been offered a better position elsewhere.
Bad weather days meant walking a half mile to the bus stop through snow, or trying to manage grocery bags and a stroller in the pouring rain.
Desperate for a way to improve her increasingly stressful situation, Dana called 2-1-1, and was directed to the Family Loan program at Families First. Within a week, she had filled out her loan application materials and was anxiously awaiting a call from Families First.
One morning, Emma Sullivan, the Family Loan program coordinator at Families First, called Dana with some great news–she’d been approved for a $3,000 loan.
Today, Dana is back in the driver’s seat and her life is much more manageable. She’s been able to drive her son to daycare each morning, run errands, get to appointments, and has even returned to the job she held in the suburbs.
“It’s like a second chance, really,” Dana says of the Family Loan program. “I can honestly say that it helped change my life.”
Aaron’s Story | Chemical Dependency Program
“Life is a lot simpler, less complicated.”
This is how Aaron, a husband and father, describes life after completing the 16-week Chemical Dependency program at Families First.
Prior to coming to Families First, Aaron’s poor decision-making and abuse of alcohol had led him to receive two DUIs in just two years. Aaron hesitantly entered Families First’s Chemical Dependency therapy group, unconvinced that his drinking was truly a problem.
Those first few weeks of group therapy, Aaron sat back and kept to himself. A turning point came during the third week, when his attitude suddenly shifted. “I remember looking over my group materials at home,” Aaron says, “and just thinking, ‘hmm . . . maybe this will help me.’”
Once Aaron became an active participant in group, he started to recognize the damaging effect his drinking was having on his life and his relationships. His group therapist helped him understand the destructive behavior cycles he was continually falling into. Along with his fellow group members, Aaron developed alternative ways to deal with difficult situations.
Today, Aaron feels confident that he has the knowledge and the tools to handle difficulties that arise in his life in a much healthier way.
Aaron’s message to anyone struggling with substance abuse is this: “It’s unbelievable what four months of talking to someone, and listening to other people can do for you.”
