DuPage County ranks as the eighth wealthiest county in the nation, and is home to some of the wealthiest people in America. It is also home to more than 50,000 residents defined as "working poor." Over the years, our county has grown from a population of 490,000 in 1975 to more than 900,000 today. There will always be people in need because events happen - a sudden illness or accident, the loss of a job, wars and deprivation that force people to flee their country of origin, a family emergency, or an unforeseen crisis. Over 60% of PRC families are working, but they live on incomes that make it difficult to get through a hard time without some help.

As an organization serving basic needs, the People's Resource Center has served as the touchstone for our community's response to welfare reform, and the cuts in funding at the federal level. The number of families on public assistance has dramatically dropped over the past three years, but there has been an equally dramatic increase in the number of people seeking assistance from the PRC. The number of people participating in the economy through work has increased, and at the same time, we have watched the number of PRC clients who are working rise.

What we continually discover is that the day-to-day life of people living and working on low incomes consists of a complex patchwork of critical pieces, including transportation, food, school issues, child care, employment skills, work opportunities, health care, clothing, housing, basic utilities. A breakdown in any one of these intricate necessities can trigger an unraveling into crisis.

Many of our families have moved from welfare poverty, to working poverty. They use our food market and clothes connection to save that $60 or $70 a month, so they can pay their rent and utilities. We're like their "library of resources," making it possible for them to remain self-sufficient. The People's Resource Center continues its 30-year history of helping our community.