What our Families Say

Mary Camp, Peoria, IL. 
"How can I be assured that those who care for her will provide the care and love she has had all her life at home. The answer is that no one can replace the person she knows as mama. So the only answer is to keep her home for as long as I am able. Without help, however, that "as long as I am able" was coming to an end. Then a letter came. Tricia's name had been chosen for the Family Assistance Program. I cried. For days, when I went to greet her smiling face in the morning, my thoughts were, "I can keep her home!" With this financial help, I can greet her with "Good morning, my darling girl", thousands of times more."

Janine Palma, Bloomington, IL. 
"Our son, Cody, is the three year old. He was born with a rare syndrome called Cri du Chat and mild Cerebral Palsy. He is developmentally delayed. He doesn’t walk or talk or use the bathroom. We transport him in a chair. He can’t swallow liquids without choking and is fed those liquids through a G-tube button. It is very difficult to find someone to care for him when we want to do other things that he just can’t go to."

Rena Steele, Virden, IL. 
"I am so fortunate; I have been receiving Family Assistance for two years. It is ONLY because of this program that I have been able to keep my eight year old son, Patrick at home. Patrick is developmentally disabled and has severe behavioral problems. With out the assistance of trained individuals caring for Patrick while I work, I could not keep him at home."

Carla Harrison, Downers Grove, IL. 
"My daughter, who is thirteen and has severe developmental disabilities, is on a waiting list to receive money from the Family Assistance Program. With the anticipated funds, we plan to buy adult-sized diapers as she is not yet toilet trained and we will hire extra respite workers to give us a much needed break from attending to her many needs, as she needs one-on-one assistance with every basic skill. With out this program it will become increasingly difficult for us to afford diapers, respite care, or a multitude of other services my daughter needs. I am afraid she might need residential care. With the FAP, we hope to provide for my daughter at home. And she will be able to participate in our family and our community."

Robert and Gladys Hastings, Pekin, IL. 
"Our son was discharged early from the army because of mental illness. He was hospitalized 14 times with severe and persistent schizophrenia at Zeller. He has not been hospitalized since he has been on the Home-Based Support Services Program the last 5 years. The program paid for a counselor to come to him at Zeller before he left. It has paid for many services for him including a cleaning lady. The cleaning lady spotted a severe gas leak in his stove. If it hadn’t been for her, we don’t know what would have happened. He goes to Tazwood Center for Human Services once a week. The program paid for legal fees for a trust for him. Now he even buys his own groceries. With the program, his eyes are bright. There’s a big smile. The anger is gone. And his sense of humor is back. Without this program, it is the opinion of the professionals in his life, that he would be in an institution now."

Beth Cuddeback, Murphysboro, IL. 
"I have worked with one FAP and three HBSSP recipients for several years as their DMHDD Service Facilitator. These programs have not only allowed them to remain at home, but have provided them with unique services and some tangible items which helped further their independence and self confidence. One person was able to purchase glasses, because the Illinois Department of Public Aid no longer pays for adult eye care. Another was able to get his back door widened and some electrical work done in his home to accommodate his electric wheelchair. Two of these people used the programs to hire people to clean or cook for them because of their limited physical capabilities. The possibilities are almost endless for what these programs can offer a person with disabilities."

*Copies of the evaluations by the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago (Family Assistance Program) and the University Affiliated Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (Home-Based Support Services Program) are available from the Family Support Network, 5739 West Martindale Lane, Peoria, IL. 61615 (309-693-8981)