To be continued…
July 28, 2021
We don’t love that as the title of a story, right? We prefer the Disney ending of “they lived happily ever after.” Given the choice, most of us would prefer a neat and tidy story where all the conflict gets resolved and the loose ends are tied in a nice little bow.
But I’ve never seen a story like that outside of a movie theater.
This month, our Crisis Prevention Team sent us the story of two girls in our care.
I’m familiar with these girls, but it was the end of the story that caught my eye. The team leader ended the story with the words “to be continued.”
These girls came into our care quite some time ago. Like many of our clients, the details took some work to sort through for our team to have an accurate understanding of why they needed care and what that care needed to look like. As our team investigated, they found the girls’ parents and three other siblings staying with them.
As time went on, we learned more about this family. The area where they live is really tough. Many around them wrestle with drug use and addiction and the family has been subject to violence on several occasions.
It’s the kind of tricky situation that would make most of us turn the channel to find a happier story. But our CPT team pressed in. And it hasn’t been easy to solve. While it’s not safe for these two girls to go home, it’s also not best to remove the remaining three children for many reasons.
Primarily, these are not bad parents. They are a vulnerable family in a high-risk area. They need help.
Thankfully, this is what our CPT team specializes in. They have continued their care of the two girls as they stay with us temporarily at GCA. The girls are dealing with past trauma while learning life-skills and how to protect themselves.
While caring for them, they visit their parents and siblings regularly, teaching them a wide variety of things: from personal hygiene to appropriate discipline. The dad is learning to manage his own fears of the circumstances around him so he isn’t overly harsh with his children. We’re teaching the family about budgeting and nutrition so they’re learning how to succeed for the long haul. We also helped them find a new house last month when the violence around them continued to escalate.
GCA is ensuring they have a safe environment in order to mend and grow.
Most of us have plenty of safety to spare, but this family has only seen glimpses of it. GCA was able to step in this year to bring stability, nutrition, shelter, and a listening ear. The support we are extending to this family is working, but the story is also not yet done. Their story is not wrapped up yet, so stick with us!
To be continued…