Work / Case study 08

Catholic Charities Joliet

Help, organized by what you need, not by department.

Client
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet
Role
Information architecture, web design, WordPress
Year
2026

The ask

People in crisis don't know your org chart.

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet runs programs across seven Illinois counties. Visitors arrive needing food, shelter, counseling or care for a parent, with no idea which department handles it.

The fix

Ask what they need. In their words.

The homepage leads with "How can we help you?" and five plain-language answers, from "I need food, shelter, or financial help" to "I need help finding programs in my county." Each one goes straight to the right services.

What makes it work

Plain words for hard days.

01

How can we help you?

Five cards written the way people actually talk. Pick the one that sounds like you and you are there. No department names required.

02

Every program, side by side.

Each category of services gets its own page. Aging & Disability lays out its programs, from Medicare guidance to senior nutrition and adult protective services, as photo cards with a short summary, so families can compare options before they call.

03

Help in your county.

Programs & Services filters by county, so someone in Kankakee sees only the programs that serve Kankakee. On a phone, that is one tap instead of a long scroll.

Brand system

Quiet colors, so the help stands out.

How can we help you?

Poppins Bold · questions

¿Cómo podemos ayudarle?

Poppins · English and Spanish

Purple from the logo's cross, teal for action and plenty of quiet gray, so the help cards stand out. Poppins is round and friendly, which matters when someone is having a bad day. The whole site switches between English and Spanish from the top bar.

Next project · 01

Skyroof