George is 16 years old and has been living at Allendale for two years. He is friendly, and wants to have friends and a family like his peers. Because of his circumstances and his emotional problems, George sometimes has difficulty making friends and keeping them. With guidance, he can learn how.

George’s four brothers are in foster care; he is close to them and visits them every other week. He visits his biological parents about once a month. Their home has been legally determined to be unsafe and inappropriate for children. His biological parents have made no effort to meet the state’s minimum requirements, and George will never return to live with them.

George wishes he were able to live with his family, and he is often sad about being in foster care. He needs a foster parent who supports his ties to his biological family and will help him become self-sufficient.

George has not had a stable home, and therefore he lacks basic living skills, such as:

At Allendale, George has a team of professionals committed to helping him succeed. He attends counseling to help him deal with his disappointment and anger about his family; he attends groups to help him learn coping and socialization skills. He also receives extra support at school to be sure his emotional issues don’t hinder him from receiving an appropriate education.

George has shown that with structure, support, boundaries, and a lot of patience from adults, he is able to succeed. The only missing piece is a family.