The call comes in the middle of the night.
Your daughter and your young grandchildren are in crisis. They need your help.
You and your husband try to talk her through it, but it quickly becomes clear the best way to help her family is to be there in person.
You pack up some belongings, put others in storage and head down to Illinois to help your daughter out of a potentially life-threatening situation.
For Teresa and her husband, this decision eventually led to their homelessness and their stay at Twin Oaks Shelter in Darien.
Teresa’s husband was working seasonally on a road crew, and his boss let them live in a camper once they moved back up to Wisconsin. The camper didn’t have heat, though, and once the weather started to turn they had to find another option.
Luckily, Twin Oaks Shelter for the Homeless was there.
“They make you feel as if it is your home,” says Teresa. “Twin Oaks has a food
pantry, kitchen, private rooms, private bathrooms, a playground for the kids and parking. It’s a complete home that can hold up to 11 families. The management is wonderful. I’ve made life-long friends here.”
It’s been two years since Teresa first reached out to Twin Oaks. Now she travels to Darien to volunteer with the shelter, often bringing her grandchildren to help.