Success StoriesPROBLEM: A young woman lost her husband in a car accident six years ago which left her overwhelmed and in deep despair. She stayed in bed. She stopped cleaning the house. She let the yard go. The Department of Child Protective Services was called to this family’s home. The house was declared a fire hazard because the house was stacked from floor to ceiling with trash, clothing and magazines. Her surrounding property also was in disrepair. The situation was dire because Child Protective Services had given her one week to get the house cleaned up, or her children would be removed from the home. ACTION: A good friend searched the Internet and found Catholic Charities and gave them a call. The very next day, Catholic Charities rounded up eight volunteers and worked twelve hours straight—sifting, sorting, removing, and caring. They still needed more time. The case worker for Catholic Charities called the Sheriff assigned to the case, “Could they have one more day?” Granted the extension, more volunteers showed up the following day. As they finished the last bits of work, a social worker arrived to take the children. SOLUTION: The social worker looked around the house. The children looked healthy, and the house was clean. The kids obviously wanted to stay with their mom. The next day, the Sheriff returned and declared the case closed. The widow is currently receiving grief counseling through Catholic Charities.
|
|
||
