Healthcare for low-income families

Think about all of the things in your home—your sofa, your shelves of books, all of the glasses and plates stacked in your cabinets. All you can keep is what fits in your minivan. What would you bring with you, what would you throw away? You’ll need to find places to shower, shave, use the bathroom—new places each day, so as not to attract attention. Where would you park at night—at a big box store where you’ll be woken up by delivery trucks at 4 in the morning? At a hospital, where security guards may shoo you away? What will you write as your permanent address while you apply for jobs?

Finding the answers to these questions was hard reality for Sylvia and her family. Sylvia came with her husband and four children to CCI’s Wheaton WIC site in August. During their certification appointment, Sylvia told WIC staff that she had been out of work for over six months, and her husband had recently lost his job. They could no longer pay their rent, and with no family in the area, or friends who could take them in, they were forced to live in their car. Wheaton WIC staff referred and connected the family to community organizations and services that could help them. But when Sylvia and her family returned in October, their situation had not changed, and they were beginning to lose hope.

With cold weather quickly approaching, the Wheaton WIC team worked on an almost daily basis to find housing for the family. Together, they collected clothing, blankets, and money to help Sylvia and her family get by. Thanks to their dedication and compassion, Sylvia and her family are no longer living out of their car. While they still face many challenges, they have beds, heat, and hot food in the winter months. And they no longer have to wonder where to park to get a good night’s sleep.

CCI Health & Wellness Services exists to provide healthcare and distribute WIC services, but for us, it doesn’t stop there. We know that for many of the families we serve, it takes more than making a doctor’s appointment or getting nutritious food for them to achieve healthy lives. Because of the support of generous people like you, we are able to staff each of our health centers and WIC sites with community health workers and patient navigators who are focused on connecting patients to the help they need. Thank you for partnering with us as we connect families like Sylvia’s to the services they need to have healthy lives.