Shawna Gets a Second Chance

Street Outreach workers encountered “Shawna” when she was 17. Her two children had been lost to state custody. She said that she was married. Shawna and her “husband” lived with various friends. She was malnourished and infested with lice.

When she became pregnant again, YES Street Outreach workers found a clinic to monitor her progress. They provided Shawna with nourishing food so that she and her child would flourish. For a while she continued to smoke marijuana, but Street Outreach workers urged her to quit. Shawna did kick the habit during her final months of pregnancy. She gave birth to a baby girl. But when hospital employees found traces of drugs in the baby’s system, the state again stepped in.

Not long after loosing custody of the baby, Shawna attempted suicide. She contacted Street Outreach for help. YES staff took her to a hospital where she was admitted for suicidal behavior. She was transferred to a long-term treatment facility for several months. Street Outreach workers visited her regularly, taking clothes and hygiene supplies. She was placed on medication and went through intensive counseling. When she was discharged, YES Street Outreach helped her find a place to stay, and she got a full-time job. Clean and sober for over a year, Shawna now has supervised visitations of her child, and is trying to earn custody.