When Steven was 14, he was placed with a foster home and began the Treatment Foster Care program with DePaul. After many happy years together, his loving foster family found themselves unable to meet Steven’s needs and Steven, now in his forties, relied on DePaul to find a new place to call home. A longtime participant at Waterlick OPTIONS Day Support Center, Steven wanted to ensure that his new home would be within driving distance to his second home at OPTIONS. After several months spent with potential families, Steven’s hopes were fulfilled by the Moreland family.
Before living with the Moreland’s, Steven rarely spoke or showed much emotion. Steven’s new environment allowed him to flourish, particularly in the area of verbal communication.
“He’s come a long way. I don’t think he was necessarily shy before, but he was uncertain. He had been from place to place and wasn’t sure where he would settle. I think his words were bottled up inside him. Now he attends church with us, shakes people’s hands, and claps and hums,” shares Wanda. “Steven is our family and everyone loves him. It brings us so much joy to see him do and enjoy things that maybe he’s never done before. It’s just as much a learning experience for us as it is for him.”
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