Maryland - Prince Georges County

MD PROMISE Male, 18 years old, Prince Georges County, Southern Region

Topics:
Benefits Counseling/ Financial Planning, Family Engagement, Independent Living, Positive Behavior & Support, Self-Determination, Transition Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Youth/ Adult Learning, Employment

The following success story highlights an 18-year-old male who currently lives in Prince Georges County, Maryland. The family has been sporadically engaged with PROMISE since 2015. The family consists of the father, MD PROMISE youth and his younger brother. The youth's father does not speak any English and cannot read the English or Spanish language. The MD PROMISE case manager can speak Spanish and can communicate with the factor on a limited basis. However, staff obtained a translator for more in depth conversations with the father. The youth's PPP indicated he likes to work with his hands; he's interested in becoming a mechanic or would prefer to do some type of work outdoors. The youth's goals were to decrease missing days of school, graduate high school, and find employment.

During the family's participation with PROMISE, there have been several misfortunes the family has experienced. The family was evicted twice from home, the MD PROMISE youth has been in juvenile detention several times since 2015, and the father is a recovering alcoholic. Despite the family's struggles, they have participated in Benefit's Counseling and the father has maintained employment. Staff were very persistent with keeping in contact with the family, even during times when the youth was incarcerated. The youth was sent to juvenile detention in mid-2017 and was released early 2018. Upon his release, he stated he wanted to find employment. The youth independently searched for employment, went to an interview with a construction company, and was hired! The youth recently reported to staff how good it felt to work and get paid. Staff have been continuing to work with the youth in hopes of him taking GED classes.