By Melissa Van Kooten, MSW Intern.
A family that is close to my heart came through the Child Advocacy, and I had the privilege of being their family advocate. The foster mother, Simone, brought her foster son, Jacob, into the CAC where he disclosed a profound amount of abuse he experienced from his previous caregiver. Simone was overwhelmed after learning about the severity of abuse Jacob had endured. She communicated with the team of professionals at the CAC about taking the next steps to gain custody and meet his physical and emotional needs.
During the advocacy session, Simone explained that she lives outside of the city limits and has an unreliable car that was on the verge of breaking down. As a result, she struggled to get Jacob to his necessary counseling and medical appointments. She also needed to repair the walls in her home before she could finalize the adoption as they contained toxic mold. I was able to connect her with services that allowed her to fix her car and repair her house at no cost. I am thankful for Realities for Children who covered the costs of the repairs and the professionals who came together to care for a family during a time of crisis. I continue to stay in contact with this family, and am so thankful that I played a very small role in their story.
