In the Syrian city of Homs and nearby areas like Al-Qusayr, some returning families are now struggling to meet their daily basic needs. Homes remain destroyed or only partially repaired, and while streets once filled with rubble are slowly clearing, electricity, water, and health services remain unreliable. Now, as winter sets in, children are falling sick without reliable access to medicine or medical facilities, mothers worry about heating with limited access to fuel, all while the emotional scars from more than a decade of conflict and displacement persist. Yet returnees like Bayan and Mohammad find ways to keep life moving forward, with parents pushing to keep their kids in school, rebuild their homes, and find new livelihoods.