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No family should have to choose between freezing in their home and possibly having to live in their car. But that is the heartbreaking reality Abby, Jose, and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Hazel Grace, are facing right now.

Abby and Jose are two of the hardest-working people you will ever meet. Both serve as dearly loved custodians for District 159 in Matteson, where they quietly and humbly keep our schools clean, safe, and welcoming. They’re the people who show up early, stay late, help without being asked, and treat every child and staff member with kindness.

Now it’s our turn to give back to them!

Their Living Conditions Are Dangerous

As recently reported on the news, the family has been living in the Autumn Ridge apartment complex in Park Forest without heat since they moved in last spring. Now that temperatures have dropped into the single digits and below-zero wind chills, their situation has become dangerous.

Inside their apartment there is no heat, their floors are flooded from a leaking roof, soaking underneath the flooring. Many electrical outlets don’t work, and the ones that do often blow circuits. The family must shut off the power completely at times for safety.

They went four days without hot water, and even now, the system is unreliable.

To keep their baby warm, Abby and Jose are forced to use extension cords to run just two space heaters—one in Hazel Grace’s room and one in theirs—and hope the electricity doesn’t fail. As Abby said in the news interview, “It’s honestly a game of strategy and puzzles.” No parent should ever be put in that position.

They have even admitted that at times, they feel they have no other option than trying not to live in their car.

The apartment complex offered the family $2,500 to leave, but anyone who has ever moved knows that amount doesn’t come close to covering first month’s rent, a security deposit, moving costs, and the basic essentials needed to set up a new, safe home—especially on short notice.

Abby and Jose work tirelessly, but even with both of them employed, the unexpected costs of escaping these unlivable conditions are overwhelming.

We Can Help Get This Family to Safety:

-Secure a safe, warm apartment

-Cover first month’s rent and security deposit

-Replace belongings damaged by flooding

-Obtain proper heating essentials

-Provide stability for baby Hazel Grace

-Allow them to start fresh without fear or danger

Abby and Jose would never ask for help on their own—they are the first to step up when others need support. But right now, they need us.

Let’s rally around them as a community the same way they have always shown up for ours.

Every dollar makes a difference. No donation is too small. Even sharing this fundraiser helps tremendously.

Let’s get this beautiful family out of freezing, unsafe conditions and into a home where Hazel Grace can sleep warm, safe, and loved—just as every child deserves.

WGN News Article