Maria’s Story

Law Enforcement

The next week, a CPS caseworker comes to the apartment right after Maria gets off work. The caseworker explains that CPS had an anonymous call alleging that Maria’s children were in danger. Maria suspects that maybe a neighbor called CPS but also thinks that it could be her boyfriend retaliating against her. She answers their questions and tells them about the ongoing abuse. She talks about how it feels like an impossible situation right now because she doesn’t have anywhere else to stay or any other source of income that could make living on her own manageable. The caseworker looks at her file and sees that the call that came in indicated she was taking drugs and so they order her to take a drug test. It comes back positive for low levels of marijuana. Her CPS caseworker tells her that she has two options: she can either relocate to a domestic violence shelter in the area or her kids will be placed in foster care until she can complete classes and remain drug free.

Family Violence Service Providers

She then finds out it is 45 minutes away and not accessible by public transportation. She’s determined to make it work, though, and tells the advocate that she and the kids will be there that night.

 The first week at the shelter is a hard adjustment, especially moving from their own apartment into communal living. There isn’t much for the kids to do after school or on the weekends, and they keep complaining that they can’t go home. Since she wasn’t able to make it to work due to lack of transportation, she lost her job and is starting to worry about what she will do once her 30-day stay is up. Maria has only heard from the CPS caseworker once to let her know that they reached the shelter but isn’t sure what else she can be doing. It’s been a week, and she still hasn’t met with her case manager through the shelter. Some of the other residents tried to show her how to sign up for public benefits through the “Your Texas Benefits” app on her phone and even explained that her kids would be eligible because they were born in the US. She worries about being put on a list if she signs up for any benefits for either herself or her kids and deletes the app.

Immigration

All of the waiting and the unknown is causing Maria to have anxiety attacks and lash out. She has made some friends at the shelter and, one day while her kids are at school, she takes a couple of pills from them to help her cope with the stress. The next day, an advocate finds some of the pills while doing a room check and tells her that she will have to be immediately exited since she had drugs on the premises. Maria is completely distraught and calls the CPS caseworker to explain the situation and beg her for another option. When the CPS caseworker learns that she has been exited due to drugs, she tells Maria that the kids will need to be placed somewhere else until she can be drug-free. With her kids taken away, no job, and no other options, Maria considers going back to her boyfriend where she at least knows there will be a roof over her head and food.

Relationship & Social Support

She thinks he might be stalking her, too, but doesn’t call the police because she figures they won’t do anything based on her previous encounters with law enforcement.  She has been looking for a new apartment so that she can show the CPS caseworker more stability and get off her sister’s couch. She found out that she has an eviction on her record from years ago that is just now showing up, and it’s been hard to find places she knows will take undocumented tenants.

Housing