When a loved one goes to prison, the family left behind often faces a silent crisis. This is the story of Tina, a mother, grandmother, and wife who faced unimaginable hardship, and how your support of the Angels of Hope program helped her find a way forward.
For years, Tina’s husband, Joseph, was the provider for their family, working for the railroad to keep a roof over their heads in Bellwood. But when Joseph was incarcerated nearly three years ago, everything changed. Tina and her teenage daughter found themselves homeless, living in their car for most of the time he has been away.
To survive, they drove for delivery apps like DoorDash and Amazon just to afford hotel rooms during the freezing winter months. As Tina describes it, losing her husband meant losing the “sole everything” for their household.
Even while incarcerated, Joseph was desperate to help his family. He began seeking assistance from inside the prison and connected with CPO. He was excited to discover that there were resources available that could actually help his wife and daughter on the outside.
But the impact wasn’t just physical—it was spiritual, too. Tina and Joseph have been in each other’s lives for 30 years. Tina admits that while they had “partied together” and done everything else, they had never focused on faith. Through CPO’s Christian program, Joseph is finally returning to the faith he once considered but got distracted from. Tina says seeing him in this program feels like their journey is finally “coming back around”.
For Tina, having a group of people plant seeds of hope was “indescribable” because, for so long, hope felt like it wasn’t even there to reach.
She has a special message for you, the donors who make the Angels of Hope program possible. She wants you to know that often, the spouses and children of the incarcerated feel “left and forgotten”.
“Definitely. Thank you,” Tina says to our supporters. Because of you, families like hers are not forgotten. Thank you for being available to the families left behind.
