Renee Finds a Foster Home

Renee is a 14 year old girl who moved to the United States about two years ago to be reunited with her mother after several years of separation. Renee attempted to integrate herself into American culture, but her mother experienced many issues with her acculturation including arranging for Renee to live with a family member in what became an abusive situation. When Renee came to Alternative House she had been on the run for several months in an attempt to avoid being abused by her biological family as well as her step family. Renee was at Alternative House for almost two weeks and then taken to juvenile detention due to the runaway report her mother had filed. Throughout Renee's stay, staff advocated for her to be placed in a safe and secure placement, so she would not be at risk for further abuse. After being in the Juvenile Detention Center for 4 days, Renee returned to Alternative House, this time in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody, and stayed for another 11 days while CPS located a foster family for her. She was able to visit with a potential foster family while at Alternative House, and transitioned to that foster home at the end of her stay.