SUCCESS STORIES

Boys House   Drop in Center   FOCUSED   Open Hands   
Learning Center    Young Adult Program   Tempe Youth Resource Center

BOYS HOUSE

Anthony entered the Detention Alternative Program (DAP) as an angry 16 year-old with a history of domestic violence, alcohol abuse, and truancy. Anthony was given many chances by the juvenile court, but had not taken advantage of them.

When he entered the DAP, he was sure that we did not like him and would not give him a chance, that he was being set up to fail. Because of the many chances Anthony had been given and the many times he had failed, he seemed doomed to another failure with the next step commitment to the Department of Juvenile Corrections. One of the things that Anthony said he lacked and needed was a male role model. Anthony found that role model in one of the staff members.

Anthony also had a problem with accepting people of other races, yet the person he chose as his mentor and role model was of another race. Anthony learned tolerance and acceptance from this relationship and continues to stay in contact with this staff member.

Through family counseling, Anthony and his mother resolved many of their issues and the violence in the home disappeared. While Anthony and his mom will always disagree, they now disagree with words instead of physical violence. Anthony was also able to resolve many of the issues he had regarding his father and his parents divorce.

Today, Anthony is a 19 year-old high school graduate, a community college student, has a steady girlfriend, lives in a violence-free home, and is able to ask for help when he needs it. Although Anthony graduated from Tumbleweed three years ago, he has stayed in touch and was able to ask for our help when an issue came up that he couldn’t handle on his own.

Anthony and his mother realized that things in their relationship were escalating to an unacceptable level and returned to Tumbleweed for a “booster” session. They were able to refresh some of the skills they had learned and return to solving problems on their own.

Boys House   Drop in Center   FOCUSED   Open Hands   
Learning Center    Young Adult Program   Tempe Youth Resource Center