Metropolitan Family Services

Family Matters | Updates from Metropolitan Family Services

IN THIS MONTH'S FAMILY MATTERS ...

“I know there are people that were terrified like myself and I want to be that voice of reason and help them calm down and understand what they can do to contribute and to mitigate the spread.”

- Colleen, Contact Tracer with Metropolitan Family Services

Programs operating remotely during Covid-19

How the racial climate impacts our families

This year has been a challenge to all types of families. The pandemic has forced parents to adapt their children’s learning and socialization, while maintaining some sort of stability at home. But to families with Black children, this year has been particularly difficult. Violence against Black people has been happening all over the country; it has led to protests and riots against systemic racism, and our children have been watching.

In a feature from our Adoption Support and Preservation team, Katie Cekal, LCSW, Senior Social Worker, and Brenda Love, Mental Health Practitioner, share how families they work with are responding to these challenges, and ways all parents and caregivers can support their children.

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METROPOLITAN IN THE MEDIA

* 70 CHA college students get tips on how to “Stay the Course”
Chicago Crusader
Metropolitan's Keli Levesque, Human Resources Generalist, joined a Chicago Housing Authority college and career advice panel, where she connected students interested in making an impact in their communities with the Mpowering internship and career opportunities we offer.

* Firsthand Poverty Series: How Poverty Can Make People Feel Trapped in Violent Homes
WTTW
Metropolitan's Leticia Guitron, Clinical Program Supervisor for our Domestic Violence Counseling Program, joins WTTW's "Latino Voices" to speak about the challenges Latinx communities face in combating domestic violence.

* Infertility was a ‘blessing’ for Homer Glen woman who wanted to be a mom. 4 adopted children later, she’s thanking the Chicago-area program that helped her family flourish.
Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Darcel Rockett features our Adoption Support and Preservation program, and one family's experience with strengthening their relationships through counseling and other supportive services.

* Despite Vaccines, Advocates Say COVID-19 Contact Tracing Remains Important

South Side Weekly
Two of Metropolitan's Contact Tracers, hired through the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, share how they got involved in contact tracing and what keeps them motivated in this critical work.

Legal Aid Society will now offer on-site services at FSS of

The Legal Aid Society will now offer on-site legal services for residents at our Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage domestic violence shelter

"We're going to be able to do some unique things because we're in the shelter."

Melanie MacBride, Managing Attorney at the Legal Aid Society, joined Naperville Community Television to speak about LAS' expansion to staff an attorney and a paralegal in-house at Family Shelter Service of Metropolitan Family Services DuPage (FSS of MFSD)'s domestic violence shelter.

WATCH

Metropolitan celebrates the passage of the Predatory Loan Prevention Act

Advocacy “This one piece of legislation helps in that broader journey to financial solvency for those in our communities,” shares Kevin Arndt, a Financial Coach with our Financial Opportunity Center. “It provides a little hope.”

Metropolitan congratulates State Representative Sonya Harper, State Senator Christopher Belt, and the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus on the passage of the Predatory Loan Prevention Act! Kevin and Government Affairs Associate Anne VanderWeele share more information on this critical step toward economic stability for our communities.

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