The Home Gwen Was Searching For

May 15, 2026

A place to call home. This concept was one that Gwen saw as a myth, or at least something that would never exist for her. By the time she was 15 years old, she had lived in seven different foster homes, confident only in the knowledge that she would never be allowed to stay long term.

There were many reasons why these foster homes never lasted, but the worst was when the social worker was forced to remove her when she was being mistreated by her foster parents. That happened more than once.

Right after Gwen’s 15th birthday, she moved into a new foster home. Her foster parents seemed nice enough, but it didn’t matter. Gwen decided long ago that she couldn’t trust anyone to take care of her or live up to their promises.

Her new foster parents tried hard to help Gwen. They patiently endured her frequent outbursts at home and her bad behavior at school—a result of all the anger Gwen felt. But no matter what they tried, it seemed impossible to reach Gwen. She began spending time with a bad crowd at school, stayed out all night, and sometimes skipped school altogether.

Her foster parents were at a loss. They were committed to helping Gwen, but they had no idea how. Desperate, they contacted their parish priest, hoping for prayers and support. In addition to offering that, their priest also had another helpful suggestion: Mercy Home. He explained that it would be a safe place for her to live and heal from the trauma of her past.

When they first presented Gwen with the idea, she rolled her eyes at them and brushed it off. But deep down, she felt betrayed—again. Assuming they were just trying to get rid of her like all the other families she stayed with, she packed her belongings and left the house.

After spending a few nights outside, Gwen was found by a police officer. In desperation, she blurted out that she wanted to stay at Mercy Home and was surprised to discover that she meant it. She was tired of running away from all the feelings inside of her. It was time to change her life.

Mercy Home quickly found a place for Gwen, and she moved in. Even though she did want to make a new start, she was still very suspicious of our coworkers. It was hard to believe that they really cared about her. She refused to unpack her belongings, assuming this would just be another temporary place to stay.

But, after months of being reassured, Gwen began to believe that she had truly found a home at Mercy Home. No matter what she did or how she behaved, our coworkers continued to assure her that they cared about her and there was nothing she could do to change that.

Slowly, she began to open up about the many things she had experienced in her short life. It was a surprise and a relief when she found out that many of the other girls had similar stories, and could relate to what she went through.

Gwen also participated in family therapy with her foster parents, who never gave up on her, either. It took some time, but she realized that they were never trying to get rid of her, but rather help her heal and move forward.

Finally, she knew she had people who loved her and a place to call home—the only thing she ever really wanted.

Thank you for all your prayers and support of kids like Gwen. It is because of you that we are able to give them the most precious gift of all, a loving family and safe place to call home.

Please note: Because we care deeply about protecting our children’s privacy, the names and certain identifying details in this story have been changed.