A Father’s Refusal to Quit

Legal Guidance for a Loving Mother

Coming to Metropolitan Saved Me

Getting A Head Start on Her Education

Building Emotional Resilience

Finding Inner Strength

Father, Role Model & Public

Lavelle & Lavetta A Rock-Solid Family Watching Lavelle, his girlfriend Lavetta, and their infant Noah have a dance party in their living room, you would never guess that they had been homeless a year ago. Bubbly and friendly like his parents, Noah laughs and squeals...

The Gerst Family Fathers Helping Fathers C. Gary Gerst is Metropolitan Family Services’ longest-serving board member, and his decades-long commitment to Metropolitan’s mission began when he joined the board in 1984. He is a former chairman of the board; he is currently chair of the...

Elizabeth Help in One Place Elizabeth discovered that her abusive husband had been abusing her oldest daughter, and when DCFS got involved, he disappeared along with their money. Elizabeth was left to rebuild her life and help her daughter heal -- all while reliving her own...

Jessica Two Generations of Successful Parents Two years ago, Jessica was wrestling with how to discipline her children, 3-year-old DJ and 2-year-old Khloe. It was a source of contention between Jessica and her husband, Demitri. To make matters worse, the kids saw her mother, Cecilia,...

Maria and Saul Maria and Saul's second child, William, began attending Metropolitan's Head Start program in Addison at the same time the Addison Children's Center was being built on the other side of the parking lot. Their family support worker, Marcela, asked if they wanted...

Treasure House Staff member Martha Smith with the two volunteers who do furniture pickups on Wednesday mornings On Wednesday mornings, Treasure House is bustling with people the moment it opens: There may be up to four volunteers running the cash registers, others on the sales floor...

Shawn "I thank God for you all.” A shooting 19 years ago left Shawn reliant on a wheelchair, so when his girlfriend became abusive he had few options. “She knocked out some of my teeth, tore up my clothes. She took her frustrations out on...

Janice Modeling Recovery Janice Benford is a Recovery Support Specialist -- commonly referred to as a Peer Mentor -- at Metropolitan's Southeast Chicago Center. On Sept. 21, 2016, she spoke at a Mental Health America of Illinois luncheon about the Recovery Model, the basis for our...

Love Is a Work of Heart Students Take on the Job of Supporting Their Peers Students in Metropolitan Family Services' Community Schools program at Chicago's Reinberg Elementary were struggling to cope with neighborhood violence and fear in the wake of national changes to immigration policies. With the...

Boeing: Partnership for a Positive Impact Enriching local communities through involvement and investment is good business. Boeing Corp. demonstrates that belief through its engagement with nonprofits globally and locally, including in the Chicago area with Metropolitan Family Services. Boeing and Metropolitan have enjoyed a connection...

Whole Child, Whole Community Metro's Community Schools program helps Tonti Elementary make a dramatic transformation Tonti Elementary School is a Chicago Public Schools success story. Although more than 96% of the Gage Park preK-5th grade school's students are low-income and 37% are English learners -- well...

Upward Bound When Anita was young and preparing for college, her mother got sick and Anita put her dreams aside to care for her. Now that Anita has three girls of her own, she makes sure they take every opportunity to succeed in their education...

Adoption Preservation Katie was born in an unstable environment to drug-addicted parents. She and her sisters never went to the same school for more than one year, spent two years in different foster care environments, and didn’t see a dentist until they came to live...

Early Childhood Education Two years ago, Jazmin jumped at the chance to enroll her oldest daughter, Jayleen, at Metropolitan’s Midway Children’s Center when her sister told her about it. Jazmin was happy with the day care where she sent her girls, but there the children...