SAFE provides comfort to kids coming into shelter
Written by SAFE
Childhood is meant to be a carefree time where the focus is on playing, learning, and growing. But many children who come through SAFE’s doors have had this time stolen from them. When 7-year-old Phil* arrived at The SAFE Children’s shelter, he was exhausted and worried about his two little sisters who were placed in another home.
Phil had taken care of his sisters their whole lives, as well as cooking and other household responsibilities that often go unnoticed by children his age. On top of that, he did all he could to protect his sisters from a mother with a drug addiction and the strangers she’d let in their house to use drugs around them. It was a heavy burden no child should bear, and he was sad that no matter how hard he tried, his sisters were still dirty, tired and scared.
Once at the Children’s Shelter, Phil was quiet at first, but soon felt comfortable enough to make friends. One friend had autism and they went on soothing nature walks together. Through our counseling program, Phil joined other kids to share experiences, connect and process his feelings. Our team was also able to keep Phil in school, so he didn’t have to cope with another big change of switching schools. After 3 months, he was so happy to be reunited with his sisters in a foster home.
This holiday, Phil and his siblings will be together and safe — because of our generous donors and our amazing staff.
You can support survivors like Phil by donating to SAFE with the link below.
*Names were changed to protect identity.
