Child Protective Services gave Maurice a deadline: fix your home, or your granddaughters will be placed in foster care.
Maurice, a 58-year-old grandfather from Cobb County, Georgia, had worked for years in a low-wage job as a school custodian while raising his only daughter as a single father. When she developed schizophrenia in college, she became unhoused and, at times, acted aggressively toward her daughters — 6-year-old Ava and 9-month-old Layla.
In early 2023, Child Protective Services (CPS) removed the girls from their mother’s care. Maurice stepped in to keep them with family and became their full-time caregiver. He left his job, as he had no childcare and could not leave the children alone. The loss of income added financial strain. Over the following months, he did his best to care for the children while living in a home more than 100 years old that needed major repairs. With limited resources and no outside help, he was unable to address the worsening home conditions.
By August, CPS referred Maurice to us due to unresolved safety concerns with his home. The case manager noted that the children’s mother was receiving services toward reunification and visited occasionally. We met her once while supporting Maurice. Because the children were living with him, our assistance focused entirely on his role as the primary caregiver.
The CPS worker acknowledged Maurice’s love and commitment but documented multiple safety issues in the home: rotting floors with holes, an unstable foundation, plumbing leaks that made parts of the house unusable, no working air conditioning during the Georgia summer, and a persistent roach infestation. The home was also cluttered due to hoarding tendencies, and food was scarce. Maurice’s phone had recently stopped working.
He was doing everything he could, but the conditions had worsened beyond what he could manage alone. CPS gave him a clear deadline: fix the safety concerns in the home before the next court hearing next month, or the girls would be removed and placed in foster care.
When we received the referral, we mobilized our ecosystem of support immediately to address the safety concerns identified by CPS.
The first priority was addressing the unsafe housing conditions. Volunteers helped clear clutter from the home and created safer, functional living space. Pathways were cleared, trip hazards were removed, and supplies were sorted to give Maurice better access to essentials. A trusted plumbing partner repaired leaks and restored water access. A pest control partner completed an extermination of the roach infestation. Through our family resource center, we provided hygiene products, diapers, formula, food, cleaning supplies, and essential baby items. We delivered a crib for Layla, a bed for Ava, and air conditioning units from a community partner to keep the home cool and safe. These immediate improvements created a safer and more stable environment for the children and allowed Maurice to focus on long-term planning.
Maurice also received a smartphone through a donation from a partner since his had broken. With it, he could stay in touch with our team, access benefits, communicate with CPS, and begin building connections again. This was a critical turning point in restoring his ability to manage responsibilities and stay informed.
Once the immediate safety issues were addressed, Maurice met with one of our navigators to develop a plan for long-term support. We helped him apply for food assistance (SNAP), utility relief, and a child care subsidy. He gathered required documentation and submitted the applications with help from our team. The process included setting up benefit accounts, verifying household composition, and explaining his new role as a full-time caregiver. We also supported him in updating his resume and starting job applications for roles that could work with his caregiving responsibilities.
Transportation was another major barrier. Without a car, Maurice couldn’t get to medical appointments, run errands, or attend CPS-required appointments for the children. A partner organization in our network helped provide a down payment on a used vehicle. We covered his first month’s insurance and supported him in budgeting to maintain the vehicle long-term. With reliable transportation, Maurice could buy groceries, take the children to appointments, and begin looking toward sustainable employment.
As he was able to get more stable, we remained in close contact with CPS, providing updates and documentation to support the children staying in his care, as he requested. Our team provided confirmation of home repairs, itemized lists of support delivered, and status updates on benefit applications to show progress toward safety and stability.
Several months after his referral, Maurice’s home was safe. The plumbing was working, the floors had been cleared and made safe, and the children had proper beds, food, and supplies. Transportation was secured. Benefits were approved. Ava and Layla remained in their grandfather’s care.
While the challenges had not disappeared, Maurice was no longer facing them without support. Because when the foundation of a house is giving out, the foundation of community support must rise in its place. That’s what keeps families together.
