Six months ago Debbie Jurcak, an Illinois mother of three, was let go from her administrative job. Last month her federal unemployment benefits ended. She is now among a group people known as the “long-term unemployed.” This group of 1.3 million – and growing — Americans are those that Congress as refused to extend unemployment benefits. Former teacher Jurcak, who has two masters degrees, never dreamed she would ever fit such a label.

But after several months and many applications, she was recently hired for a customer service position. The pay is quite modest and it’s only temporary, but if she can prove herself, she believes there’s a chance that she may be taken on for a permanent position. But there are many other American parents still struggling to find work.

According to a recent report from the Urban Institute, in an average month there are still three times as many children living with parents who have been unemployed as there were in 2007. Illinois has among the highest percentages of children in this situation. Nearly five percent of all children in the sate live with long-term unemployed parents.

“Unemployment benefits are certainly not a cure-all,” said Julia Isaacs, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, and co-author of the report. “But they do help cushion the negative impact that unemployment, and the resulting poverty, can have on outcomes such as school performance.”

But people like Debbie Jurcak had no way of knowing how bad the situation would become. Debbie left her teaching job in 2009 to take care of her then newborn daughter, Ella. Her husband Frank, a commercial driver, was later laid off. He took temporary jobs while he searched for permanent work. Debbie rejoined the workforce in late 2012, only to be laid off the next May. In order to make the bills manageable, the Jurcaks sold off their home and moved into a tiny apartment.

Debbie and Frank have tried their best to shelter their children, but they haven’t always been successful. Though she still went to preschool, the Jurcaks could no longer afford preschool for little Ella. Ella and her sister both have a few health issues, and medical bills have been slowly mounting. The older children, ages thirteen and sixteen, have seen a growing sense of desperation in their parents. To maintain a semblance of normalcy, even with little money, Debbie and Frank bought their kids Christmas gifts. But it was difficult to hide their panic when they received the notice about their unemployment benefits being cut, just after the holidays. Even before those benefits were cut, the Jurcaks sold many of their belongings at secondhand shops to help pay bills.

But though their apartment is a tight living arrangement for five people, they still have a home and food on the table. The oldest child, 16-year-old Dakota, sleeps in the den. He uses a curtain for a door. The living room serves as a bedroom for his parents, who sleep on a pull-out sofa bed. After sending out hundreds of applications, Debbie finally found her new job with the help of a member of her church. She believes her education seems to hurt more than it helps.

She said, "The impression that employers seem to have is, 'You're not going to stay.’” Employers would often turn down her application because they were only looking for the minimum requirements from prospective employees.

Workers at the West Suburban Community Pantry, where Debbie has gotten groceries in recent months, have said it is not unusual now to see unemployed professionals or skilled workers, even as the economy is improving. Julie Benario, a volunteer, recalls a young mother of three who became overwhelmed each time she visited the Pantry. "She'd get in her car and cry because people were so nice to her," Benario said.

Debbie Jurcak understands. She hopes that one day she can, “pay it forward,” and be the one doing the giving. She said, “I don't want to rely on my government, and quite frankly, I'm not convinced that it's really government's role to do all that it is asked to do. But it shouldn't ignore the needs of the people either. Maybe until you're in the situation, you don't really get it."