Cecilia, a single mother, came to Catholic Charities at her lowest—she was living at PADS in the Northwest suburbs with her young son after having been laid off as the manager of a health club that closed its doors because of the recession. She had recently fled a domestic violence situation and needed help fast. "I wanted to get out of the shelter and get him back into stable housing," says Cecilia, who entered Catholic Charities' New Hope Apartments transitional housing program three months ago. Now, she is moving toward economic independence because she had the time and the guidance to figure out what had gone wrong in her life. "No one had ever taught me how to separate my needs from my wants," she says, explaining how she was able to fall so far so quickly. "Catholic Charities has literally saved my life, because so many doors had been shut in my face when I was in my time of need, but Catholic Charities helped me. I plan on volunteering here after I leave the program."

Imagine if Catholic Charities weren't there for this young mother and boy. What situation would they find themselves in? All of our New Hope Apartments are currently occupied, and more people are waiting for a safe place to live.