Problem Solving with Heart: Empowering Families Through Compassionate Conversations
January 22, 2025
In the face of an ever-shifting crisis, a flexible approach is necessary for helping families confronting housing insecurity.
On the frontlines of homeless family services at the Family Solution Center, the work we do is personally challenging. Every day, we meet families grappling with impossible choices—whether that’s paying for a room or putting food on the table, basic needs too often are pitted against one another. Our team feels the weight of these decisions, too: There are never enough services to fill the void caused by oppressive systems that ensure few thrive.
But since we’ve made “Problem Solving” a cornerstone of our approach, we’ve witnessed a shift. This is a powerful and holistic approach that has transformed not only the way we serve our clients but also the way we operate as a team.
Through doing this work, it’s increasingly evident that our job requires more than just connecting families to housing. We’re building relationships, inspiring empowerment, and helping people rediscover their own resilience. St. Joseph Center’s mission to provide inner resources and means for families to become stable, self-supporting members of the community is something we strive to deliver on every day. And it requires a big open toolbox.
When we come together to problem-solve for a family, we realize how many community resources we can tap into—whether it’s a nonprofit offering zero interest loans or a neighborhood clinic providing free health services. This community awareness has become one of our greatest assets.
But it’s not just about awareness. Instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all solution, we work with families to identify their unique strengths and challenges, using the wealth of resources at our disposal to create a tailored plan that empowers them.
Problem Solving has also helped us develop critical soft skills like active listening, patience, and the ability to navigate sensitive conversations with grace. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed.
For example, in 2023, we helped a single mother of three who’d been kicked out of her family home due to “unreconcilable” differences with her stepfather, just before she could finish her nursing program. After some carefully threaded conversations, with both sides, we were able to identify some basic misunderstandings and bridge the separation. No additional dollars or resources were needed to get the mom and her kids back indoors.
These skills not only serve the families who come to us for help but create an environment of support among our team that pays dividends. We’ve learned how to have tough conversations with one another and our clients in ways that uphold their dignity and highlight their strengths, fostering an atmosphere of mutual respect.
When someone comes to us in crisis, they aren’t just asking for help—they’re trusting us with their story, their hopes and their fears. Now we know we can have tough but compassionate conversations, treating each family not as a problem to be fixed but as individuals with the power to overcome their unique obstacles.
