Helping a young family in need:
University Settlement
Disclaimer: In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, all stories about specific individuals are told with their express written informed consent.
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, when sixteen-year-old Miranda gave birth to baby girl Caylie, seventeen-year-old Chris quickly learned about responsibility. He now had a family to take care of and provide for. It was more than a little bit overwhelming.
The young family found a place to live. Chris dropped out of school and
got a job, but it was seasonal, so the income wasn’t steady. They did all
they could, but all they could do wasn’t anywhere near enough. Fortunately,
Chris remembered a place from his own childhood, a place where his mom used
to work, where he thought he might be able to get help.
Chris, Miranda and Caylie came to University Settlement one evening just to get something to eat. That was all they asked for, all they wanted. They definitely came to the right place.
Thanks to operating support from the Saint Luke’s Foundation, and the dedication and hard work of its 35 employees, University Settlement had recently redesigned its hunger center.
“In the first year of implementing our new strategic plan, one item stood out – the fact that we needed to be better able to assess the clients coming into our hunger center,” said Tracey Mason, Executive Director of University Settlement Inc. “We designed a food pantry, making it the core point of entry from which we are then able to refer clients for other services.”
The food pantry was set up to provide clients with a more dignified experience. Shelving units hold food supplies, and clients can “shop” for the items they need. The pantry also has two desk areas, where meetings and needs assessments are conducted in a private setting.
“Our goal is to coordinate services so people don’t have to go all over town for help. We’re now able to offer much more direct, client-based services,” said Lorie Lee, Hunger Program Coordinator, University Settlement.
Helping find the right path
Chris did get food to take home on that first visit. He underwent a complete
needs assessment, allowing the University Settlement staff to begin working
to help meet some of his family’s other needs as well. They helped them find
some home appliances, clothing and diapers for the baby, made phone calls
to set up appointments with social services agencies, assisted with completing
applications and paperwork for the Ohio High School Equivalency Dimploma (otherwise known as the General Educational Development Diploma, or GED), life skills programs, and more.
“I went to daycare at University Settlement, and spent time here as I got older,” said Chris. “I am so grateful I knew about it, because if I had not come here, there would have been no food for any of us that day, no diapers for the baby, and no guidance on the right path to get back to school. I am just so very thankful that they are here.”
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