No Place Like Home
When Jake came to live at Lee & Beulah Moor Children’s Home nearly two years ago, he was just starting middle school.
He was teased by peers because he didn’t wear the best clothing and sometimes hadn’t showered. What his peers didn’t know is that he was homeless and living from place to place, sometimes in the family’s compact car. He had trouble with focus and motivation in school. The teachers called him “lazy” and insisted he could do better. His teachers didn’t realize that his daydreaming and lack of attention to schoolwork was because he was hungry, tired, and worried about where his next meal would come from.
Jake has shared with his social worker that the “best” meals he had in any given week were the Sunday lunches at the local Rescue Mission. The family, ashamed to seek help, never reached out to teachers, local social services or even churches. It was through a family friend that intervention occurred for Jake and his mother and her boyfriend.
Two years later, Jake is thriving in his freshman year of high school. He has made tremendous progress in every area of his life. He attributes his success to his “cottage parents” who “inspire me to be my best”.
The team at the Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home discovered, early on, that Jake had a need for corrective lenses, and could barely see the chalkboard in school. Once his vision was corrected, along with receiving the love, support and basic needs of three meals a day, Jake transformed.
Simultaneously, the caseworker assisted Jake’s mom in securing housing, and finding a part-time job. As her confidence and stability grew, Jake and his mom grew closer. The part-time job turned into a full time opportunity for Jake’s mom and the two plan to be reunified at the end of the school year. Jake will move with his mother into a new apartment.
The best part according to Jake is that he will get to have “two homes” because as he says “I will always have home here (at Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home) and also with my mom”. We agree, Jake. You will always be a part of the Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home family. We are so proud of you and your mom!
