Crosswind Church

The child (16 years old) remains in the care of her maternal aunt and uncle, although they have recently relocated to a new residence.

They are currently pending RFA approval and are concerned that their recent move may jeopardize the process. The home is clean and my client is safe, but they are lacking some basic furnishings—specifically, bed frames, a dining room table, and other essential items. They were informed that these deficiencies could impact their approval status.

Getting a bed and dining room table for the child would help preserve relative placement for this child.

The family who consists of a single-mother of 6 children. Mother is a former foster youth and has a total of 10 children. three of her other children are currently living with other family members. Fathers are not involved and do not contribute any child support to mother to assist her with the children’s needs. Mother has been financially providing on her own with public aid, but it is spread thin in these hard economic times. Mother is a hard worker and tries her best to provide the children with what she can. Mother and the children were homeless from November 2024- March 2025. This placed severe strain on the family and much of their belongings were either lost or the children outgrew their clothing over that period of time. Mother obtained housing, but a refrigerator was not part of the residence. The refrigerator would come in handy for this large family as mother would be able to purchase items that could go further throughout the week or longer if she was able to store them in the refrigerator/freezer. The family is in need of a full size refrigerator and clothing for the children. The children’s clothing sizes are listed below. This family could really benefit from having a refrigerator and clothing for the children. 15/F- clothes size 18, shoe size 3-4 12/M- clothes size 10, shoe size 3-4 8/F- clothes size 10, shoe size 2-3 6/F- clothes size 6, shoe size 11 4/F- clothes size 4, shoe size 9-10 4/F- clothes size 4, shoe size 9

The mother is in need of rental assistance. She is currently employed but requires support with past-due rent. Despite this financial hardship, she is actively complying with her case plan goals and court orders. She is enrolled in domestic violence classes, anger management, parenting, and conjoint counseling. The mother remains committed to family maintenance services and has demonstrated consistent effort and progress.

Through my work with her, I have observed several strengths: she provides emotional support to her child, is a loving and nurturing mother, and shows great resilience. Her goals are to maintain stable employment, create a positive and supportive home environment for her son, and return to school to pursue a degree and long-term stability.

I am advocating for this need because she has received an eviction notice and is at immediate risk of losing her home. Addressing this need is essential to ensure the child continues to live in a safe and stable environment.

DCFS has provided various resources to support this family. However, the timeframe for assistance through DCFS can take 8–10 weeks, which is not feasible in this urgent situation. As such, we are requesting this support through CarePortal. The estimated amount needed is $500.