Stephanie had made some poor choices in her early years, and ended up in prison in California. After her release, she decided to start life over by relocating to live near her mom in Roseburg. Not long after moving, she met the man she would end up marrying, and soon after became pregnant. With a new partner and a baby on the way, she wanted to do everything in her power to change her life.
When Stephanie first came to UCAN, she and her partner were living in a tiny studio apartment. Her partner was looking for a new job. Stephanie was starting to rebuild her relationship with her mom.
Hearing about our WIC program, Stephanie came to us to learn everything she could to get ready to care for her new baby. Stephanie received free WIC foods, obtained counseling on maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, was referred to Douglas Public Health Network to receive smoking cessation support, and obtained a referral to have a mental health issue addressed.
Given the challenges Stephanie faced, we were able to offer home visits. During these visits, our staff provided additional emotional support, ensured Stephanie (and her partner) were ready to best support their new baby, and connected them to our utility assistance program so their family could reduce their utility bills. After she gave birth to baby Gail, she enrolled the baby in our Early Head Start program.
While she continued to obtain WIC services, Stephanie and her partner joined a local church. Her fellow worshipers soon came to embrace her, seeing how committed she was to nurturing her young family. She continued to grow closer to her mother, who provided critical support to help with baby Gail.
It has been several years since we first got to know Stephanie. Her family now has three children, Gail (age 7), Christian (age 5) and Holly (age 4). The youngest is in our Head Start program. Our WIC Program Manager says the children are “absolutely adorable.” Dad has a much better job than when we first met the family. And they now rent a three bedroom house with a large backyard where the children play tag and hide and seek.
We are not surprised to see Stephanie and her family doing so well. From the beginning, she had her mind set on success. With some support from UCAN, Stephanie has been able to foster a new family, create stronger bonds with her existing family, and find a home in her faith community.
