Fadwa’s Story

To say Fadwa is driven is an understatement. She doesn’t dream of becoming a surgical nurse, she is actively taking steps to make it happen. And to make her mother proud.

Fadwa lost her mother to cancer when she was just 13 years old. Her father expected Fadwa to assume her mother’s responsibilities and moved the family often, keeping them distanced from any extended family. She was not allowed to have friends or participate in extracurricular activities. She attended five different high schools and managed to maintain excellent grades while she cooked, cleaned, and took care of her two brothers and father.

At 17, she was abandoned by her father and placed in SCO’s foster care program. SCO helped stabilize the teen, placed her with a foster family, and eventually was able to locate a maternal aunt who opened her heart and home to her long-lost niece through kinship foster care.

Despite her early challenges, Fadwa stays focused on the opportunities ahead of her. SCO’s foster care staff helped her prepare for college; guiding her through the application process and helping her achieve both a Dream USA Scholarship and a Youth in Foster Care Award.  Currently a student at Borough of Manhattan Community College, SCO helped her secure an internship with a surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Fadwa’s goal is to keep her GPA high enough to get into nursing school. And we have no doubt she will achieve this and so much more.

 

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Close to Home Residences

SCO’s Close to Home Program is a network of residences for 13-17 year olds involved in the juvenile justice system. The program utilizes the evidenced-based Missouri approach to focus on counseling, structure, education, skill-building and connection to family. We offer intensive after care services for a period of 6-9 months once a youth is released home to ensure the generalization of the skills they have acquired while in the program and to reduce recidivism.  Located in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, these residences are consistent with our philosophy of placing adolescents in small homes located in the communities near their families. Our Close to Home Program also includes residences for youth with developmental disabilities in order to better serve their specific needs.

Who Can Benefit from this Program

Youth adjudicated as juvenile delinquents and sentenced to serve time in placement

Age Criteria or Other Eligibility Requirements

Age 12-17; convicted of misdemeanors or low level felonies as juveniles

How to Access this Program or Service

Placed through NYC Family Court and NYC Administration for Children’s Services

 

Success Stories

Fadwa’s Story

Foster Care and Education

“I’m going to be successful regardless of what I’ve been through." Learn More

Brigid & Noah

Adoption

"He's my world." Learn More

96%

of students at our Dix Hills campus participated in weekly wellness activities

99%

of at-risk families throughout Brooklyn & Queens remained together and stable with family support services

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