Curtis' Story
Curtis doesn’t really like to talk about the reasons he came into care, but he does acknowledge that he has been in care most of his life. Though he’s been through several placements, Curtis has spent the last seven years living in a group home. For years, Curtis badly wanted to be with his family, but that simply was not an option. He had a hard time opening up to strangers and it left him feeling isolated, scared and angry. As a result, he acted out.
“The hardest thing I had had to go through in foster care was learning how to control my anger. People said that I was hyper but that wasn’t what it was. I was acting out because I wanted to be with my family…trusting people was a big problem,” he said. “I didn’t trust nobody.”
But that all changed the day that Curtis met Roberto. Roberto started working as a staff member at Curtis’ group home a couple years after he arrived. When he met Roberto, Curtis felt an instant connection. There was something about Roberto that made Curtis feel safe. Maybe it was the way that he greeted him warmly at the beginning of every shift, or made a point of sitting down with Curtis at the end of the day to check in with him. Whatever it was, Roberto got Curtis to do something he hadn’t been able to do since he was put in foster care: open up and trust.
It was hard on Curtis when Roberto told him that he was going to join the army to serve as a mental health specialist, but Curtis respected his choice. Throughout his tour of duty, Roberto often thought about Curtis and wondered how he was doing. When he was stationed in Germany preparing for discharge, Roberto decided to give Curtis a call to check in on him. Curtis was thrilled to hear from him and they made plans to see each other when Roberto came home. It wasn’t easy at first. Roberto wasn’t allowed to visit Curtis due to the stringent clearance process that has to take place to be a part of the life of someone in care. But Roberto persisted. He went through an arduous background screening process including fingerprinting and other paperwork to ensure that he was able to be a part of Curtis’ life. They were able to start visiting each other and eventually Curtis started to spend a couple of weekends per month at Roberto’s home.
“We have a very strong relationship,” says Curtis. “I see him as a mentor, a father figure.” So he was absolutely ecstatic to learn that the PATH program could make it possible for him to further this connection, while also helping him transition successfully to independent adulthood. “It’s a new step, no it’s a new achievement!” Curtis said of PATH, which will provide a housing stipend and weekly support to Curtis, Roberto and Roberto’s 5-year old son as they all learn to live together.
Curtis is hoping that PATH will help him become more self-sufficient and achieve all of the things that he wants to achieve. Roberto is committed to making that happen as well and looks forward to teaching Curtis about cooking, shopping, saving money, and making healthy choices. Above all, however, Roberto hopes that Curtis will finally feel the love and safety that being part of a family can bring. “I am hoping to have a great experience with Curtis, and that’s the way it’s been going so far.”