Joe and Melinda had a rough path getting here.
Joe grew up running with gangs and spent the majority of his life in and out of jails. Melinda was abused as a child and began to use drugs at the age of 15 to cope with the trauma… from there it only went downhill as she eventually became addicted to heroin.
They met each other three years ago and got married. They have two children together – Max who is now three years old and Joline who is almost a year old.
Joe found out about the Phoenix Dream Center at one of our in-reaches during his last jail sentence. When he was released, they decided to try it out together… what other options did they have? They had lost custody of both of their kids and doing what they were doing wasn’t helping them get their kids back.
On March 14, Joe and Melinda walked through the front doors at the Phoenix Dream Center and asked about coming into the Program.
Since Joe and Melinda have been here, they both admit that they have been doing great. Their marriage is flourishing as they are finally getting the time to process and evaluate who they are as a couple.
The last step, they feel, is getting back custody of their children.
Melinda tears up every time she talks about it. “We made some stupid decisions, yeah, I’ll admit it. But we’re on the right path now and we’re willing to do whatever it takes to get our kids back.”
This is where we need your help.
The first step for parents hoping to regain custody of their children is supervised visitation. Both Joe and Melinda work with the Department of Child Services to be able to spend time with their children on our campus. Our staff and counselors also work with them on techniques and coping skills to enable them to grow as parents.
Every day men and women come into our Program broken and in despair. We help rebuild them AND their family.
Did you know that almost 80% of people in jail or prison used to be in foster care?
We help ensure a better future for not just Joe and Melinda, but for their KIDS, as well.
The safe housing, therapy, food and clothing Joe, Melinda, and so many other parents on our campus receive make it possible for them to be the parents their children need.
“We could not be more grateful for the opportunity that the Phoenix Dream Center and DCS has given us to help us get custody of Max and Joline,” says Melinda, tearing up again.
Thank you for helping keep families like theirs together.