Why I Work With Family Promise
Mar. 10th, 2020 12:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kayreFamily Promise is a program that provides temporary housing and many other services for homeless families. For a number of reasons, families sleep in different churches, a week at a time in 12 different churches, while spending daytime in a Day House if they aren't at school or work. I volunteer when they're at my church (slept there Sunday night, making dinner Saturday); and occasionally I provide piano lessons for guests who are interested. Right now that's J.
J is in the program with her mother and brother. They are from El Salvador. The parents had come to the U.S. several times, and the boy was born here. They have been targets of gang violence. When they reached the border 6 months ago they spent time in one of the camps. In the end the mother and children were allowed in to live with a relative while their asylum plea is evaluated-- but the father was deported back to El Salvador because of "gang connections." A month after he was sent back he killed himself. He wrote a letter to the family; only one page arrived, at least one more is missing. In it he explained that a gang was demanding information that he has on where ex-gang members have gone; he killed himself to make sure he wouldn't break under torture and betray his friends.
I am not sure how the family arrived in Albany, but someone in Social Services was aware that Family Promise could keep them together; otherwise the boy would have had to go into foster care.
J is intelligent, talented, remarkably happy considering that story, and has been teaching herself piano from internet videos (in a second language, for her!). She's also crazy busy; the very good high school she was attending is actually sending transportation to wherever she sleeps each week, but that means getting picked up at 6:15! So this week, while she's at my church, I'm giving her a cram course in reading music so that she can get more out of those tutorials. Possibly in the summer we'll be able to do regular lessons together.
I also promised that when they get into a home, I'll make sure she gets a keyboard worth playing. (There may be a GoFundMe in my future.)
J is in the program with her mother and brother. They are from El Salvador. The parents had come to the U.S. several times, and the boy was born here. They have been targets of gang violence. When they reached the border 6 months ago they spent time in one of the camps. In the end the mother and children were allowed in to live with a relative while their asylum plea is evaluated-- but the father was deported back to El Salvador because of "gang connections." A month after he was sent back he killed himself. He wrote a letter to the family; only one page arrived, at least one more is missing. In it he explained that a gang was demanding information that he has on where ex-gang members have gone; he killed himself to make sure he wouldn't break under torture and betray his friends.
I am not sure how the family arrived in Albany, but someone in Social Services was aware that Family Promise could keep them together; otherwise the boy would have had to go into foster care.
J is intelligent, talented, remarkably happy considering that story, and has been teaching herself piano from internet videos (in a second language, for her!). She's also crazy busy; the very good high school she was attending is actually sending transportation to wherever she sleeps each week, but that means getting picked up at 6:15! So this week, while she's at my church, I'm giving her a cram course in reading music so that she can get more out of those tutorials. Possibly in the summer we'll be able to do regular lessons together.
I also promised that when they get into a home, I'll make sure she gets a keyboard worth playing. (There may be a GoFundMe in my future.)
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Date: 2020-03-10 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-11 01:08 pm (UTC)Thank you for your work, and for the story.
....
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Date: 2020-03-11 03:26 pm (UTC)(And I would totally donate to that GoFundMe.)
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Date: 2020-03-12 07:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-13 03:38 am (UTC)