Laresa
As the spunky, courageous 16- year old child of a drug-addicted mother, Laresa spent much of her time wandering the tough streets of West Greenville alone, searching for a sense of belonging. She had little interest in school, and with no structure or parental supervision, Laresa became victim to sexual abuse and neglect at the hands of those she trusted most. Forced to fend for herself as her mother’s drug addiction spiraled out of control, Laresa sold drugs to survive.
While living in a homeless shelter with her mother, Laresa awoke one day to discover that her mother had abandoned her at the shelter. Laresa took to the streets alone, searching for a place that could provide with her with a sense of “home”. Now 17 years old, Laresa heard about a nearby children’s shelter known as Pendleton Place, and walked up to our gate and pressed the buzzer, asking the staff on the other end if she could come live at the shelter. Our staff notified Greenville DSS, who immediately took her into Emergency Protective Custody. Laresa was placed at Pendleton Place Emergency Shelter, while caseworkers sought to determine possible long term placement options for Laresa. Within a few weeks, Laresa moved into a newly opened spot in the Smith House program.
Initially, consistently complying with and adapting to the rules and structure of a group home setting proved to be extremely difficult for Laresa. As someone who was use to being on her own, Laresa struggled with working together with peers in a familial group-setting, and her lack of social skills made her feel alienated and detached from others. Despite Laresa’s resistance, Smith House staff offered Laresa unconditional support and encouragement, and remained committed to giving her the stability and nurturing that she had lacked in her home life. For instance, after taking an interest in high school sports, Laresa often marveled when looking out into the stands to find Smith House staff and peers cheering her on during her basketball games. Once a student with no interest in excelling academically, Laresa suddenly took an interest in school, and her grades began to drastically improve. Laresa’s talent in art grabbed the attention of school officials, and in January 2009, Laresa was awarded the MLK Youth Leadership Award. In addition, Laresa began receiving monthly therapy sessions through Greenville Mental Health Center to assist her in dealing with the anger and abandonment issues she experienced throughout her childhood.
Though Laresa flourished from the support and life skills education she received from the Smith House program, she signed herself out of the program shortly after her 18th birthday, feeling she was prepared to live her life independently. While Smith House staff felt that Laresa wasn’t ready to be out on her own, we wished her well, and maintained contact with her in case she ever needed a listening ear.
Close to six months after discharging from Smith House, Laresa contacted Smith House staff, confiding that life after her premature discharge from the program hadn’t been going well. Since leaving the program, she lived in 3 different locations, ultimately moving when those with whom she resided grew frustrated with Laresa’s under-developed social skills and lack of consistency with following house rules. She worried that at any given moment, she would be told to leave her current home and wouldn’t have a place to live. Laresa asked to come back into the Smith House program. Pendleton Place and Greenville DSS joined together to develop a plan that would bring her back into DSS custody, and immediately into the Smith House program. We created a plan to help Laresa refocus on increasing her social skills and planning for her educational future.
Now in her senior year in high school, Laresa remains motivated in school, where she is currently a straight-A student. She is working diligently to display appropriate social skills, and is once again embracing the importance of presenting herself appropriately and professionally as she prepares to enter college after graduation from high school this year. Instead of rejecting authority figures, she is now seeking advice from our staff, asking their assistance to help her polish her social skills. Her natural leadership abilities have emerged, and she was recently elected by her peers as the Vice President of the Greenville County Foster Care Youth Committee. Because of the support, nurturing, and education that Laresa received at Smith House, she graduated from high school in 2010 and is on a positive path to successful and independent adulthood.