Life challenges might cause a bump in the road for most families. But for others, trials can result in major upheavals in their lives. Jeremy and his grandmother, Patricia, faced the latter when they were involved in a life-changing situation — one that led to their living apart from one another.

“Me and my grandmother, we went through a lot,” Jeremy said. “We did a lot of crying. I love my grandmother; she’s like my mother.”

The primary reason standing in the way of the family’s reunification was a housing issue. In early 2024, an important program to help South Mississippi families facing crises brought on by inadequate housing was announced. Patricia and Jeremy had hope.

A near tragedy divides family

Jeremy went to live with Patricia when his mother was incarcerated. In September 2022, when Jeremy was 14 years old, he was shot in the back and rushed to the hospital. When he first arrived, the staff’s attempts to reach Patricia were unsuccessful. After 24 hours of no word from Patricia, Jeremy was placed with Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services (MDCPS) while they continued to contact her.

MDCPS soon connected with Patricia and learned she was unable to respond to calls because of obstacles she faced — no working cell phone, lack of transportation, and most of all, her own health challenges. As a result, Jeremy remained in child welfare custody.

Jeremy was paralyzed from the waist down and his hospital stay lasted six months. After being discharged, Jeremy faced a different life. His paralysis did not allow him to return home because the family’s apartment was not ADA compliant. Moreover, Patricia’s health issues did not allow her to provide the proper care for her grandson. He stayed in child welfare custody, and MDCPS referred the family to Youth Villages’ Intercept.

Intercept, an intensive in-home program, meets children and families at a critical crossroads and helps them find their way to well-being. Intercept can step in to change a family’s trajectory with intensive support, new parenting and communication skills, and evidence- and strengths-based mental health intervention services.

Intercept helps reunite Jeremy and Patricia

The family had two stints in Intercept, the first from June 2023 to July 2024 and the second one that began in November 2024. The primary goals of the family’s first time with the program were finding suitable housing and educating Patricia on how to care for Jeremy.

While the housing search was ongoing, Family Intervention Specialist Shonda Burre provided Patricia with information to care for Jeremy, who now relied on a wheelchair for mobility. Shonda also worked with her to find resources around the community to assist them.

The family’s search for housing got a jump-start in January 2024 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it was awarding more than $375,000 for Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers to the South Mississippi region. The vouchers, to be used to battle homelessness in Mississippi, are for families who are at risk of their children being removed from the home, with the primary reason being inadequate housing.

Shonda helped Patricia pull together the required documentation to submit to the voucher program.

The family discharged from Intercept in the summer of 2024, with the plan for them to return later when Jeremy’s 90-day trial placement with his grandmother began. This would allow Intercept to work with them together in the home.

In November 2024, Patricia’s became one of the first families in Mississippi to be approved for a FUP housing voucher. That same month, Jeremy and Patricia re-entered Intercept. Marche Maye, the family’s second intervention specialist, was there when Jeremy moved into their new home prior to Christmas.

Marche worked with Patricia on how to handle Jeremy’s complex medical needs due to his paralysis. Marche also took Jeremy to his doctor’s appointments and got him established with a primary care physician. Despite this new phase of life, Jeremy and Patricia are happy living together again.

Jeremy, now 16, plans to return to school via online classes and has had discussions about his future after high school. He is continuing physical therapy, and his rehabilitation program is providing standing frames so he can do rehab at home. He is also learning how to live independently so he is ready for the world as he gets older.

“Youth Villages has helped us a lot,” Jeremy said. “They talk with us about how we’re doing, what we need. Youth Villages did what they said they would do. I’m home now because of them.”

About Youth Villages – Mississippi

In collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Child Services, our services in Mississippi focus on strengthening families to prevent or reduce the need for out-of-home placements (Intercept, MYPAC and Wraparound) and supporting youth who age out of foster care or lack a stable caregiver as they transition to adulthood (LifeSet).

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