After I pay the rent on the first, I’ll start shopping for school clothes and school supplies. I’m praying and putting it all in perspective.

— Kay, a single mom and recent graduate of the New Hope program 

This school year, Kay* — a single mom and recent graduate of Catholic Charities’ New Hope Apartments — will have a son entering third grade, another in day care, and an oldest daughter starting her first year of college out of state. The prospect of back-to-school costs is weighing heavily on her.  

“That has been on my mind,” Kay says. “School is starting back soon. I’m trying to save up a little each paycheck.”  

But financially, it is a struggle. Kay works full-time and is studying for a more lucrative career in nursing. Catholic Charities’ New Hope Apartments absorbed the burden of rent for the family for 24 months, giving Kay and her kids stable housing so she could focus on being a mom, working, and studying.  

“Sometimes, as a mom, you have to make a tough decision,” Kay says. She is prioritizing her kids’ needs over hers, hoping to set aside a little money before school begins and giving her daughter her laptop to take to college.  

“I’m so proud of her,” Kay says of her daughter, the first in their family to go to college.    

Your gift helps create stability for generations for mothers and families across Cook and Lake counties. By making a gift, you can help provide mothers with essential resources to secure shelter, safety, and self-sufficiency — changing the course of their lives. 

*Name changed for privacy