Eric’s Story


Imagine that you live in poverty.

Now imagine that what little you own just went up in flames due to a house fire. This is what happened to Eric and his mom. They were left homeless and had no other family support. Unfortunately, mom found drugs as a way to cope with her loss and didn’t have the resilience to secure new housing for her son. Eric was neglected. For two years, the toxic stress of homelessness and a drug-addicted mother took its toll. Eric’s emotional and behavioral health suffered. Child Protective Services intervened but traditional foster care was not available for 12- year-old Eric. So he was placed at VHBG in need of trauma-informed care. Over the next nine months, Eric lived at VHBG in a safe, supportive environment in one of our group homes. Eric began to heal. He and his mom are participating in family and individual counseling and are on their way to being reunited. I’m sure you understand how Eric aches for a place to call home with his mom but he is so thankful that VHBG is here for him now. Eric has hope for a better life with his mom and, because of people like you, a brighter future awaits him.

This holiday season, please choose to make a gift to VHBG to support our youth and the place they call home. CLICK HERE TO GIVE.

This story is real but names and images have been changed to protect the youth’s identity.

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