CCSC helps families and individuals who undergo short-term crises. Sometimes we pay part of their rent or utilities, preventing homelessness or substandard living conditions. A volunteer follows up a few months later to check on the family’s well-being and ensure our resources were invested well.

So one day this fall, I made some of those calls. I spoke to an elderly woman who needed assistance paying for her electricity last summer; she lives on a fixed income and had an abnormally high bill. If we hadn't helped her, she would have cut back either on food or prescription medication.

I also spoke with two single parents who’ve made lifestyle adjustments to juggle their children and work. Bob has three children under the age of five, and he works nights to care for them during the day. I referred him to our Client Services Coordinator to see if we could help formulate a plan to further stabilize the family and also reduce his stress.

The other single parent, Kate, was lucky enough to have her mom move in with her, so she now has help with her elementary school-aged children. She works a low wage job in the retail sector, so we referred her to JobNet, hoping an upgrade in skills might increase her income.

And then, while writing this post, a minister reached out to me, saying they have a homeless man sleeping outside, near the church, so she’s sending him to us for help.

You know, if I got into trouble, I’d sleep near a church also, trusting that the people of the church would reach out to me. And that’s CCSC’s mission, to be the church, saying “Yes, come to us. Let us help you.”