Charlie walked into our Topeka Family Support Center needing help. He had been sleeping on his aunt’s floor, feeling stressed, anxious and weary. He had applied for work at many manufacturing facilities, but received no interviews. Finally, his persistence paid off, and Charlie landed a position.

Charlie’s next big step was to find a place to call home. Our Topeka case manager assisted him in completing the paperwork for an apartment. Later, he brought in his signed lease so that our case manager could move forward with providing a down payment through our Housing Assistance Program. He was also given new pots and pans and miscellaneous kitchen items for his new place. During his visit, Charlie was wearing a bright yellow work vest, work shirt, work pants and steel-toed boots. The staff and volunteers marveled at his transformation – from a man in crisis to someone with a higher level of self-esteem and confidence!

A few weeks later, he met with a Catholic Charities employment specialist who assisted him through our St. Rita’s education program to get training to earn a forklift driver certification. Filled with hope, Charlie is now on the road to achieving long-term self-sufficiency!