When I first came to the group home, I was young and didn’t have much confidence in myself or other people. I had lost hope and I was full of anger and didn’t know how to go about dealing with these feelings properly.
The staff members of the Family Solutions Girls Group Home helped me realize my potential and supported me through getting my schooling finished. They were patient, even though I didn’t make it easy! They encouraged me to learn life skills that would help me when I turned 18 and would leave the program. I left for school off campus by myself and came back on my own as well. The level of trust they gave me made me feel more confident in my ability to be self-sufficient. It also gave me a new level of confidence. They helped open doors and helped me find opportunities to better myself.
The staff helped me create a resume and apply for volunteer positions at multiple places which led me to volunteer at the Medford Public Library and The Jackson County Animal Shelter. They also taught me how to read the bus schedules and find my way around the city. When I lived at the Girls Group Home I was finding my way around to my volunteer positions and to school on the public buses by myself. It helped me tremendously after I graduated from the program. The volunteer position at the library turned into a paid part-time job. The staff members then helped me get an account at a local bank where I deposited and saved my paychecks. They also helped me enroll at Rogue Community College! They taught me so many valuable life lessons.
It wasn’t just skill-building for the real world that they helped me with though. I had multiple emotional and behavioral issues as well. They helped me think about what I was feeling and why I was feeling that way. They helped me process my emotional response to feelings and helped me find new ways to react to those feelings. This “emotional” skill-building also helped me with future relationships.
I wasn’t an easy person to help. I was stubborn and had a hard time letting someone help me. I didn’t take direction well either. The staff here created a safe environment where I could work on these issues and become a better version of myself. They were kind and patient in some very difficult moments. I am thankful to have gone through this program and thankful to the staff members who helped me become the adult I am today.
I am currently enrolled in Umpqua Community College and have been attending the school part-time, working on a degree in Sociology and Criminal Justice. My end goal after graduating is to work at a Non-Profit organization that helps at-risk youth create a better life for themselves, to give them a support system that helps lift them up and shows them their full potential like all of you at Family Solutions did for me and countless others.
It’s been quite the journey after graduating from the program. I moved back to Roseburg, Oregon. I learned how to drive and financed my first two cars successfully! I always kept the same job here and have transferred once. I met a wonderful man at Umpqua Community College about two and a half years ago and am now married and have a sweet little girl named Lilah. I also work part-time and go to school part-time while juggling my job as a mommy and wife! It’s definitely hard work but so worth it. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love my little family. I know that, without a doubt, my life would be different if I hadn’t been through your program. Just like everyone else, I have had my ups and downs, however, your program helped me realize how to process and react to those ups and downs of life. I learned how to get back up on my feet a little faster and how to move forward.
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