Many adults with special needs require the professional help and services provided by group homes. Without the support of a group home, these individuals may put themselves and their families at risk. I’m currently dealing with this devastating issue affecting my client and her son.
My Email to New Jersey Senators and Assembly Members
We are reaching out to you to help us with an emergent group home issue with [redacted]. My client, [redacted], who is copied on this email, is [redacted]. [redacted] is a 19-year-old young man with severe autism, ADHD, impulsivity disorder, epilepsy, and cerebral palsy. He was placed in a residential group setting because he had severe, violent, and aggressive behaviors at home. [redacted] engaged in attacking his Mom and family, property destruction, and elopement. [redacted] was placed in a group home run by Serv Behavioral Health on December 4, 2019. He does not engage in any of these behaviors at his group home. [redacted] specifically told the group home this information and that [redacted] will only engage in these behaviors when he is home with her and the family. [redacted] was placed in the group home based upon this very reason. Sure enough, [redacted] has not displayed and such behaviors in the group home.
The issue is the group home stated this past December, that [redacted] was not exhibiting any of these behaviors at the group home and so according to procedures implemented by DCF, they have to discharge him, despite the fact [redacted] is still having these behaviors whenever he goes on a home visit, which are now even worse according to his mother. I have now appealed this decision by DCF and am awaiting a hearing date. If [redacted] goes home, he will have these same behaviors and wind up in a psych ward or jail or seriously injuring his family or another individual. As you know it is a never-ending horrific cycle with kids like [redacted] who have these severe behaviors. They go home, have the severe behaviors, parents call 911, go to hospital-sit there for days, be medicated to get stable, then go back home and the entire process starts all over again. This issue is happening to families all over this state as well as across this country.
We need your help. Please let us know when we can set up a meeting to discuss further with you.
You Have the Power to Help
We urge you to contact your local New Jersey legislators, asking them to help prevent unlawful discharges from group homes. Working together, we can genuinely make a difference.