Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network (ucan) Helps Shanese, 18, Mother of Two, Mature, Become Independent

Shanese’s Situation

Shanese is an 18-year-old, single mother of two boys. Unemployed, Shanese and her two kids were forced to live with her older sister and her daughter in a cramped, one-bedroom apartment at a North Chicago group home. Shanese stayed only three months. Her initial stay at ucan’s  Transitional Living Program home in Riverdale fared no better. Shanese quarreled bitterly with the houseparent and left after a month. She and her boys were placed in another ucan transitional living home.

“It was impossible for me to walk away from confrontations without getting the last word. Life had been horrible before I found Uhlich,” said Shanese.

How ucan Helped

In her next transitional living home, Shanese was introduced to houseparent Shinika Hudson by her case worker, Kathy McCarthy.  

At first, Shanese continued to fight. “I used to jump into a fight whenever I had any conflict,” said Shanese. “Kathy would tell me all the time about how I should lighten up, but I wouldn’t listen. I fought.”

And Shanese fought. The more she fought, however, the more Kathy and the ucan staff helped her and counseled her. The relentless commitment brought results.  Shanese’s behavior turned. “As I began to develop trust in the staff, I began to mature. They respected me and I learned to respect them,” said Shanese.

In addition to personal counseling, ucan staff helped Shanese start a job training program to become a certified nurse’s assistance and helped her to find short-term hospital jobs. With the accumulating experience, she earned a full-time position  “After a short time working at the Halsted Terrace Elderly Hospital, I applied for a full-time job. Within two weeks I was hired!”

For Shanese, ucan’s most beneficial program was the parenting program. “It taught me how to become a better parent to my two boys,” said Shanese. She learned how to respond to the boys’ crying. She learned to prepare nutritious meals, ensure good hygiene for them, and develop a consistent schedule. She learned the importance of prioritizing her day around the boys and their needs. “My kids mean everything to me, so these skills were very important, because I didn’t want to lose them to the system due to my misbehaviors,” said Shanese.

Shanese Today

Today, Shanese continues to works as a certified nurse’s assistant for Halsted Terrace, an alternative living arrangement for the elderly and is completing her senior year at Thornridge High School. In addition, she is planning not only to purchase a car but also to move with her children to Calumet City into her own home.

More important, Shanese has transformed her self-image. “I look up to myself now. I say this because I have been through so much and still I am able to move ahead in life and motivate myself to do better.”