Fall 2019
NEW HEIGHTS Stories about life-changing journeys made possible by you!
Healing Begins in The Cottage
A
young boy, Jimmy, was left alone in the South Los Angeles apartment he shared with this mother. Addicted to drugs, she often left him alone. He would regularly awaken to strangers in his home or an empty home without a trace of his mother. Although she always came back, he never knew what to expect. She might sleep for days or be irritable or euphoric. This time, his mom would not return. She had overdosed and was lying in a hospital, unable to tell anyone that her son was home alone. A neighbor found the boy and called the police, who arrived with a social worker. Jimmy was skinny and wearing dirty clothes. He cried when he learned his mom was in a hospital. The social worker needed a safe place for Jimmy while a foster home was being identified. She brought Jimmy to The Cottage, Wayfinder’s transitional shelter for children who have just been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse. In the social worker’s car, Jimmy sat stunned and crying softly. Wayfinder’s primary job in The Cottage is to stabilize children so they can be placed as quickly as possible with a family member or foster family. It’s an important—and sometimes difficult—task. The Cottage offers a warm, loving atmosphere to ease children’s fears. Mary, one of The Cottage’s residential counselors, met Jimmy at the car and asked what he liked to eat. When Jimmy walked into The Cottage, all the staff and children greeted him and introduced themselves. Jimmy felt like he was entering someone’s home, not a shelter. (continued on page 6)
NEW HEIGHTS Take a look inside Wayfinder’s latest newsletter:
Q&A with CEO Miki Jordan page 2
From the Archives page 3 Meet a Wayfinder Family page 4