Widower Finds Solace
Jon’s wife recently died of cancer, leaving him with three children to raise alone and a heap of medical bills. Jon’s hours at work were cut in half. The financial pressure added further stress to the grieving family.

Jon’s children became depressed and withdrawn. His youngest son, just 8 years old, began having nightmares. Jon was both emotionally and financially drained.

A coworker referred him to Jewish Family Services of Metro West and his children now receive play therapy, helping them to better express themselves and cope with their grief. Jon is also in therapy, and the agency is helping him with the family’s expenses.

Holiday Fund Supports Two Women’s Career Training
Ms. Sanchez, 28, has two daughters, ages 11 and 6. She is unemployed and battling depression. She also has an open DYFS case due to substance abuse.
Sanchez was referred to Catholic Charities’ Supportive Assistance for Individuals and Families (SAIF) Program to devise a plan for her future.

Sanchez works with a program case manager, receives counseling and has completed an outpatient substance abuse program. This year, she took the necessary steps toward becoming self-sufficient by enrolling in a training program and working as a part-time seasonal sales associate. Given her marked improvement, Sanchez is hopeful her DYFS case will be closed.

Kimberly is a young, single mother of an 8-year-old boy who suffers from ADHD. Due to her son’s condition, Underwood has had trouble keeping full-time employment because she’s had to leave work often to pick him up from school.

The Arc of Essex County provided Underwood’s son help with his ADHD, professional care that would have otherwise been beyond their reach. Kimberly came to the Urban League of Essex County’s Employment Center for help in finding work to care for her family. She is hopeful the agency will aid her in finding full-time employment.

Family's Struggles Eased
Laid off from his pharmaceutical job and with two young children in day care and a wife on disability, Larry struggled to provide for his family. Months passed with few job interviews and no prospects. The family savings was slowly depleting.

Larry fell into a deep depression. He visited the Jewish Family Service, where he received subsidized counseling and psychiatric evaluation and monitoring. The agency also provided Larry and his family emergency assistance after he expressed concern about meeting his utility bills to provide heat and to pay their car insurance during the winter.

Coping with Return from War
John is a 25-year-old veteran living in West Orange with his wife and baby daughter. He served two tours of duty in Iraq and spent four years with the Marine Corps. He earned combat medals and was honorably discharged.

After returning home, John was diagnosed with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder and struggled with everyday tasks. He suffered with anxiety, irritability and paranoia, having hallucinations and nightmares about the war.

Unable to work, John receives a monthly veteran’s pension to support his family. However, it only covers food and rent. Struggling to pay his utility bills, John sought emergency assistance from Catholic Charities’ Parish Access Center in East Orange.

The agency paid most of John’s bills and spared his family from having their utilities shut off. John’s wife has since found a job and is able to pay their bills.

Fund Helps Single Mother Make Ends Meet
Susan hasn’t received alimony payments from her ex-husband in two years and he’s disappeared without a trace. In that time, she lost her job and health insurance. She now has a low-paying retail job to support her family. Her two small children were quickly outgrowing their school uniforms and Susan was unsure how she would cover the cost of heat and other rising expenses during the winter.

When she came to the Newark Day Center, she met with a family worker who put her in touch with available resources such as health coverage, New Jersey Family Care, utility assistance and nutritional benefits. With help from Newark Day Center, Susan and her family were able to find some much-needed medical and financial help.

Keeping Working Family from Homelessness
Two years ago, Ahmad immigrated to the U.S. from Morrocco with his wife and 3-year-old son.

They are now permanent residents and live in a one-bedroom apartment in Essex County. Ahmad works at a gas station making minimum wage and has no health insurance.
He recently required medical services and an important X-ray, which he had to pay for. Ahmad came to Catholic Charities Parish Access Center in East Orange for help because his medical procedures left him behind in his rent.

Catholic Charities was able to identify financial assistance resources to cover the family’s back rent. With this financial aid, Ahmad was able to resume his normal rent the following month and his family was no longer in danger of homelessness.

Helping a Mom Help Herself
Crystal was job hunting for months. With no work or family support, she made do by living with her best friend, leaving her 2-year-old daughter in the care of a neighbor when she went on job interviews. Finally, Crystal got a break: She was offered work as a bank teller. But her celebratory mood was short-lived. The neighbor could baby-sit now and again, but Crystal knew she would need steady child care to take the job and become self-sufficient. She knew of several day care programs with openings, but lacked money for tuition. The Urban League of Essex County came to Crystal's aid, covering one month of tuition so she could launch her new career.

Health, Financial Problems Under Control
Marisol, 9, had such bad asthma she often couldn't leave the house. Her brother Eduard, 11, had colitis, while their mom, Theresa, had diabetes. As a result, the family's medical costs were staggering -- made worse when the children's father disappeared, leaving many unpaid bills in his wake. Meanwhile, they were behind on their rent, and their utility bills carried a balance of $3,000. Although the family could have earned more on public assistance, Theresa refused to accept welfare, choosing to keep her low-paying job instead. But as her family began skipping meals, Theresa knew she needed help. Through the Youth Consultation Service's Children's Home-Based Intervention Program, Theresa and her children have learned to navigate the bureaucracies that govern their health costs, and managed to get their bills under control. The agency even discovered they were being overcharged for utilities. Support from the Greater Newark Holiday Fund will allow the agency to go one step further: providing the family with holiday gifts.

Family Finds Friends
Tommy had a rough time in his parents' home. Now he and his sister live with their grandfather, shielded from the daily trials brought on by their parents' alcoholism. Still, the 9-year-old is struggling. He misses his parents, whom he rarely sees. Although by nature he is bright and sweet, his behavior has become a problem. Meanwhile, his grandfather never planned to raise two young children as a senior citizen and is financially unprepared to provide for them. For help, Tommy's grandfather turned to the Nutley Family Service Bureau, a local organization dedicated to supporting families under stress. Now, as the agency continues working with Tommy on his behavioral issues, its staff wants to help the child have a special holiday by arranging a visit with his parents and the purchase of holiday gifts.