Domestic Twinning Stories

St. Vincent Help Desk, Marin County, CA

Angel Rafael

Just before closing on a Friday afternoon the St. Vincent Help Desk received a call from the Marin Maternity Center. I have encountered many pleas for help during my volunteer work at the Help Desk, but this one particularly shook me up. The Marin Maternity Center was seeking help to send Clara and her son home. Clara 31 years of age had had a heart attack just before she was to give birth. Before they reached the hospital both Clara and her 8 1/2 month term unborn baby boy died.

Staff member of the center were raising funds so that the bodies of Clara and unborn child could be sent back to Mexico City, with the husband for services and burial. The mortuary handling the arrangements indicated that only one casket would be needed, as the child would be traveling in his mother’s arms. Thus they will be sent in each other’s arms to both their earthly abode and their heavenly home. I believe that both Clara and her unborn son, Angel Rafael, will meet many other angels upon arriving at their destination.

Our Morning Chronicle

Marcel and his wife came to this country a few years ago. They have a three- year and a five-month old baby. They have been homeless for over a year staying with a friend and at various shelters. They previously lived in Atlanta where work was scarce so they came to California.

Marcel works very hard. He gets up at 2:00 a.m. to deliver 572 Chronicle newspapers daily. He says Sundays are especially difficult because of their many sections and the Sunday editions are heavy. He has asked for expanded routes, however the papers must be delivered on time so his route so his request was denied. Marcel and his wife both work as house cleaners during the day.

With the help of three parishes and a loan from his boss, Marcel was able to move out of the shelter and make a deposit on an apartment. He had no furniture other than a small bed for the five-year old and a crib for the five-month old. A parishioner donated some of her furniture and volunteered to pay for a moving van to take it to Marcel’s new apartment. The delivery was made and Marcel and his wife are no longer sleeping on the floor.

A single father came to Ozanam Homeless Help Desk. Glen had been working with many different agencies regarding his son has serious mental health issues and special needs. Billy has been diagnosed with PDD, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and has anger management issues that cause many problems. They have been staying in a hotel and their money has ran out. St. Sebastian and St. Anselm Conferences Twin with the Ozanam Conference to keep the family sheltered for another week. A staff member familiar with resources for children with special needs worked with the other agencies involved at solving the long-term housing problem. Additional funding was provided by other agencies to help pay the hotel bill for a few more weeks. The father has a seemingly endless number of meetings and appointments with the several providers trying to apply for help. Meanwhile, the stress level and fear of ending up homeless by the father and son was devastating.

One of our low-income apartments became available. Since the apartment belongs to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we were able to forego the rental deposit. Glen and Billy moved in with their few possessions. St. Hilary’s Conference supplied two twin beds, and the staff provided bedding and other necessities. St. Sebastian’s Conference followed up with a home visit to evaluate their other needs. Our staff and volunteers are able to provide a stabilizing presence for this harried father, weary from dealing with the many demands of parenthood alone. Billy can be very loud and demanding, and sometimes violent when his emotions get out of control. Glen repeatedly apologizes for his son’s behavior, while we marvel at his ability to deal with this situation on an on-going basis. We are thankful that we were able to get them into housing where they have support and understanding from their neighbors and from their landlord, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.