Wrap Around Care

Julia, a single mother of an autistic teenage son, came to GraceWorks to request a store voucher for clothing for him.

In conversation with a GraceWorker, our Neighbor Services volunteers, she opened up about other problems she was experiencing. She is unable to work because she can’t leave her son alone. He has separation issues and worries each time she leaves that he has been abandoned.

She has been able to obtain disability payments for him, but they are small because he has never been able to work and build up his Social Security funds.

Bills are mounting, and she struggles in dealing with her son’s condition, as well as the typical teen emotional turmoil he is experiencing.

GraceWorks was able to provide not only the clothing she needed, but assistance with her rent and utility bills and a shopping cart full of food. She was reassured she could receive food each month. Recognizing Julia’s mental distress, GraceWorks also arranged for free psychological counseling.

GraceWorks staff and volunteers often discover in one-to-one compassionate conversations with Neighbors that they have more than the one problem pushing them to ask for help. On average, each of the thousands of Neighbors who seek support receive six resources from GraceWorks annually. Julia is an excellent example of the comprehensive, wrap-around care that GraceWorks provides to our community.