In March of 2020, a young woman came to live at one of our Merakey homes. Her unique needs and past traumatic experiences resulted in numerous difficult periods during the first 18 months in her new home. This time was also complicated due to the pandemic.
It soon became evident this young woman was unable to stay in her home and the team had to find respite for her elsewhere within the Merakey system to allow time to develop a more specialized program. Even though the respite location was also experiencing staffing shortages, they had the resources to develop a better suited and more clinically appropriate program to support her and welcomed her with open arms. All along, the entire staff at both her original Merakey home and respite residence pulled together and refused to stop working towards a solution. Even on the hardest of days, every person on her Merakey team has supported and guided her to live her best life. She has now returned to her original Merakey home and is ready for a fresh start!
Through this partnership, the Merakey team has helped her settle in for the longest stretch of time she has lived in one place. Her story is a true testament to the saying “it takes a village,” as it took not just Merakey staff, but also county, community, and state systems to make this happen.
A special thank you to everyone at Merakey Woodhaven in Philadelphia for your dedication and support during this time – you all went above and beyond.
