Keeping Kids Safe – Ebony's kids
Taking care of 16-month-old twins, a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old can be overwhelming, no matter the situation. When Ebony had a serious personal issue that needed her attention without the stress of raising four young children by herself, she turned to the Sacramento Crisis Nursery.
To say the least, she was at her wit’s end. She didn’t have an alternative support system after leaving an abusive environment, didn’t have a permanent place to live at the time and she needed a couple of days to rest, regroup and gather the strength necessary to raise four happy and healthy children.
Being able to take her children to a safe home was exactly what she needed.
“She was completely overwhelmed, living in an emergency women’s shelter for families that have dealt with domestic violence and she just needed some time without the children to get a few things handled,” Sacramento Crisis Nursery case manager Arthur Giraco said. “She was under a lot of pressure and being a responsible and loving parent, she couldn’t just leave her kids anywhere and she didn’t have anywhere else to turn. She had emergency personal issues that couldn’t be handled with four kids, especially with three children under the age of 3 running around.”
Less than a week after the kids spent two nights at the nursery, Ebony was back at the Sacramento Crisis Nursery. This time, however, it was for another reason. One of the twins needed outpatient surgery. She left her two youngest children at the nursery during the day while she was at the hospital. Once again, it was the best place for her children in a different time of need.
More than 95 percent of the Nursery’s clients are single mothers who don’t have anywhere safe and trusting to turn in times of need. The Sacramento Crisis Nursery – one of eight United Way California Capital Region certified partner agencies working on the Keeping Kids Safe Project – cares for hundreds of children each year. Through the work of the staff caseworkers and workshops held at the nursery, parents receive short-term help during times of crisis as well as long-term support and solutions.
Because of the Keeping Kids Safe project, 1,811 children and their families received prevention intervention and therapy services this year to reduce the risk of child abuse.
“That illustrates the dual purpose of the nursery,” Giraco said. “She was able to leave her kids here while she took care of a very serious personal issue and again when one of her children was in the hospital. She wanted to be focused on the child in the hospital. We provide relief for the parents and safety for the children.”
Sacramento Crisis Nursery proved they were trustworthy enough for the family to come back a second time.
“She used us for an emergency, overnight place to keep her kids one time and she trusted the agency enough to come back a second time,” United Way Safety Impact liaison Tom Bennett said. “We take it as a very positive sign when the parents choose to come back.”
