Andrew was 11 when his father came home from prison.

He had been excited about it for months. He saw other boys around the neighborhood with their dads and he couldn’t wait to be reunited with his own. He had already begun dreaming about playing catch in the yard and spending time together.

One of the happiest days of Andrew’s life was the day his mom brought his dad home. He hadn’t been able to hug him since he was a little boy. That night, the whole family ate dinner together and watched TV until bedtime.

But things didn’t stay happy for long.

Andrew’s dad couldn’t find a job, and his parents’ relationship soured after so many years apart. After months of unemployment, his dad gave up on looking for work and just stayed in the house all day. Meanwhile, his mom was exhausted from working several jobs to support the family and taking care of Andrew and his brother.

Then the fights between his parents began. Calmly at first, but they quickly escalated as his dad refused to find work or even leave the couch. The fights became verbally and physically abusive. Andrew’s brother ended up having to call the police one night, but that did nothing to stop the fights. He and his brother had to call the police over and over again.

Exhausted from his home situation, Andrew reached out to a teacher at school and let her know what was going on. She referred Andrew to Mercy Home.

Now that he is at our Home, Andrew has finally found some peace away from a difficult home life. He can do his homework each night without listening to fighting and working hard in therapy to learn how to cope with his family situation.

And even though his parents ended up splitting up, he still is talking with his therapist about how he can develop a healthy relationship with both of them.

We have seen a tremendous change in Andrew since he first arrived at our doors. He has gone from a shy and scared boy to a confident young man. He has found the support system he needs among our coworkers and the other boys who have gone through similar situations.

Young people like Andrew find peace and healing because of generous, loving friends like you. Thank you for making change possible in lives like Andrew’s through your support!