Responding: CSC Intervention
Anaiyah David, 15, the oldest of her five siblings, recalled feeling overwhelmed by rage. Deon’s biggestcrime, according to Anaiyah? “He’s very, very cocky,” she laughed. “He’s just so goofy and funny. He’s a ladies man.” More somber, she shared: “He stays out of drama.” Which is why nothing could have prepared their family for the random act of unprovoked gun violence that changed their lives. Deon was en route to his neighborhood basketball court when he was injured in a drive-by shooting in broad daylight. Beyond Deon’s physical injuries, trauma reverberated through the entire family, threatening to break their bonds beyond repair. That’s when RaeShawn Buie with Collaborative Solutions for Communities (CSC) stepped in to help Deon and his family work through the complications and conflict that often impact families following a traumatic event. Before long, Raeshawn discovered that the heartbreak and impacts of violence ran far deeper than this single incident.
Relocating: Building Blocks Program Raeshawn first connected with Tricia David, Deon, and Anaiyah’s mother through CSC’s partnership with the Building Blocks Program. Tricia was taking care of her two youngest children, who were both under 2 years old, and trying to help Deon manage his recovery while being worried sick about Anaiyah, who had become a teenage runaway. Unfortunately, knowing that all attention would be focused on Deon while he was hospitalized, their home became a prime target for breaking and entering, robbery and vandalism. It was no longer a safe place to live, and Tricia was left with no place to go. Deon and his youngest sister, Darnell, were able to stay with their father in the community, but Tricia and her other three children needed temporary housing–fast. Working with the Building Blocks Program and Inner City Family Services, RaeShawn helped them secure a safe, temporary living situation in a hotel in a neighboring state. Unable to express her emotions and the pain and fear she felt about these dramatic life changes, Anaiyah fled to the streets, refusing to relocate with her family.
She made it her mission to help Deon and his family heal in an intensive case management role.
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