Sienna instructs her son to never give up, and she’s an inspiration to those who are struggling to overcome tragedy. 

Born and raised in Waukegan, Sienna is one of eight children. The family struggled financially but eventually, Sienna was able to move out of her family home into her very own apartment. Soon after, while she was at the laundromat, an electrical fire destroyed her home. She lost everything. Sienna found herself homeless and turned to Catholic Charities for help. 

Catholic Charities provides rapid rehousing in crisis situations to women, men, and single parents who are homeless and offers a five-year, Family Self-Sufficiency Program that empowers the current 50 participants to find stable housing and employment to become financially independent. Sienna has participated in both of these programs and found great success. 

“I remember being a recipient of Catholic Charities when I was younger,” Sienna said, “but I did not know they had a rapid re-housing program.” Case workers found her temporary housing as her apartment was rehabbed.   

Strong Families 

Sienna joined the Family Self-Sufficiency Program at Catholic Charities in 2022. Case workers placed Sienna and her son in a hotel for six months until a new apartment was found for them in Winthrop Harbor. Two years later, with the help of her case managers, Sienna finally received her Section 8 certificate, and that helped the mother and son find a two-bedroom home with a yard in Beach Park. Now, she’s working as a Certified Nursing Assistant with seniors in their homes for a home services agency, while her son attends the Waukegan school she attended.   

“Catholic Charities has helped me in so many ways,” Sienna said. “They house me, they help with food, assistance, utilities, anything I needed. They helped me out with jobs, too. They have the best case managers who help identify resources to meet my needs.” 

Lauren Caples has been Sienna’s case manager who checks in regularly to see if she needs anything for herself, her son, or assistance with managing her bills and budgeting. She also encourages Sienna to join the monthly community meetings where participants network, take job training classes, financial literacy workshops, and create vision boards for their goals. Even when Sienna had another setback last November when she unexpectedly lost her sister, she continued to stay engaged and work hard. 

Overcoming Challenges 

“Since I met Sienna, she’s experienced back-to-back challenges she’s had to navigate, but she keeps showing up and she keeps checking in with me,” Lauren said. “She just keeps going forward, no matter what. That is her strength.” 

Sienna said she is grateful that her son has not known what it means to struggle and said she thanks God he was not born when she was homeless when she and her three dogs actually slept in a garage for a short time.   

“As a mom, whenever I needed something for my son, I would call Catholic Charities,” Sienna said. “He wouldn’t know what it would be like to need or want for anything and they helped me do every aspect possible as a mom.” 

She encouraged other mothers to reach out to Catholic Charities if they are in need. 

“If you’re struggling, know it’s not the end of it, even though it feels like it, and you feel like you want to give up,” Sienna said. “Don’t be shy, don’t be proud, get out there and let someone know you need help.   

“I didn’t give up and I’m making it,” Sienna said, “and it’s only going to get better.”