We’ll Always Be There
Several weeks ago, one of the boys on our campus went home to his biological mother very unexpectedly. In most cases, our staff and foster families rejoice when a child is reunited with their family... but this did not leave a good feeling with anyone on our campus. The circumstances felt wrong, but sometimes we can’t change the decision no matter how much we try – the foster care system is far from perfect.
When Houston left our campus to go home, there were lots of hugs, sad goodbyes, and tears all around. We weren’t sure what to think, but he didn’t want to leave anymore than we didn’t want to see him go. We did have the unfortunate hunch that he would be placed back into foster care within the year.
Our Executive Director, Laura, made sure that we stayed up-to-date on Houston as he settled back into his home. We wanted to be there for him even when he wasn’t with us.
As the weeks went by, we weren’t hearing any good news. We were able to connect with Houston’s new school counselor and told her that we would make sure Houston had what he needed to succeed wherever he was. Our staff was praying fervently for Houston and that good things would come from his returning home, but our prayers weren’t answered the way we thought they would be.
On May 12th, the day after our gala, we found out that Houston was being taken back into DSS custody. Laura worked quickly to make sure his new case worker knew he always had a home here at Calvary Home and by the grace of God he was able to return to our campus.
One of our foster families, The Nelsons, were able to keep Houston in their home over the weekend while his former Calvary Home foster parents, The Ganos, worked quickly with DSS to adjust their license to accomodate one more child in their home. It truly takes a village!
While we hate to see families struggling to care for the children in their care, we are beyond grateful that Houston was able to return to a place he already considered home. He’s living with the same foster parents, eating at a familiar table, and seeing familiar faces every day.
Here at Calvary Home, we’re not just a interim home for children who need us for a season – we will always be a home when the time comes. Once a Calvary kid, always a Calvary kid. We work hard to make sure our children succeed no matter where they are, and in some cases, that means fighting for them to come back to us so they can be reunited with a stable family they have come to know and love already.
