Jessie witnessed her mother viciously attack her sister, nearly killing her.   A friend convinced her to reach out   for help. “Youth On Their Own   literally saved my life,” Jessie said. YOTO staff informed DCS of the ongoing abuse, which prompted an investigation. “The DCS caseworkers didn’t believe me. Because my parents were above the [...]

Youth On Their Own has been one of the few constants in Jamie’s life.  Even as a little girl, Jamie was beaten by her mother, often showing up at school with bruises. After school officials notified DCS, Jamie and her sisters were removed from the home but were unable to be placed together. Jamie [...]

Raised by a mother who was addicted to crystal meth, Garrett never knew what each day would bring.  When his mom was happy he could play alone in his room. When his mom was mad the beatings would start. Garrett was eventually removed by DCS after the situation in his home had deteriorated to [...]

Tommy’s mother left when Tommy was  two and never returned, leaving him in the care of his drug-addicted father. After six years of neglect, Tommy was removed from the home by DCS. Shortly thereafter, Tommy’s father died of a drug overdose. Living in cramped quarters with his aunt, uncle, and four cousins, Tommy was [...]

It was after their father died that Luis and Juana’s mother started drinking. At first it was only in the evenings. Pretty soon she was drunk all the time, calling them names and telling them she had never wanted kids to begin with, and that they had ruined her life. As the older brother, [...]

As a small child, Blake was often left to fend for himself. On the nights when his mom was with her drug friends and his dad was nowhere to be found, he and his older sisters would be left alone in the house with no food and the power shut off. Concerned neighbors called [...]

Bianca has lived in fear for most of her life. The only child of two drug addicts, chaos and uncertainty were the only constants at her house. Her parents barely noticed her comings and goings, much less cared whether she went to school. It was Bianca who discovered her father dead of an overdose [...]

Arturo grew up in poverty, living with his mother. There was constant fighting, mostly about money and whether there was enough for Arturo. Arturo’s mother told him she didn’t have enough to raise a child and that he should go live with his father. Arturo’s stint living with his father didn’t last long. His [...]

When it was discovered that her mother was working as a prostitute and using heroin, Antonia was removed from the house and sent to live in a group home. The staff there encouraged her to apply to Youth On Their Own. The YOTO program support has helped Toni with basic needs including food, school [...]

To have someone believe in me enough to donate their money for my future leaves me speechless every time I think about it. I’ve never had family who believed in me or supported what I did, though I did have lovely friends who believed in me more than anything. But for total strangers believing [...]