This column relates accounts of family engagement by a nonprofit working to keep families together while avoiding child welfare involvement. The names of the family members have been changed to provide anonymity.
In August 2022, Aisha was homeless and living in a shelter with her husband and five children when, she said, his abuse turned nearly fatal. Inside the shelter room where they were staying, Aisha said, her husband stole her gun and shot her twice. One bullet lodged dangerously close to her heart.
She was rushed to the hospital, where surgeons worked to stabilize her and remove the bullet. While she was still recovering in a hospital bed, Child Protective Services (CPS) removed her five children into foster care.
In the months that followed, Aisha said she struggled to get answers while recovering from her injuries. She did not know where her children had been placed, and repeated attempts to reach a caseworker went unanswered.
Nearly a year passed before she received a clear case plan outlining what she needed to do to reunify. Once she received the plan, she began completing the requirements immediately. She attended therapy, completed evaluations and submitted to drug testing. She said she never tested positive.
Transportation quickly became one of her greatest barriers. Without a driver’s license, she relied on public transportation to attend hearings and required services, taking multiple buses, transferring to trains and walking the remaining distance.
In early 2024, Aisha secured stable housing. Around that same time, she completed the requirements listed on her case plan. Months passed, but her children were not returned home.
Despite completing the requirements, the case continued moving toward termination. Court hearings continued, and each time she completed a requirement, another was added.
“It was like they didn’t want me and my kids to be reunited,” Aisha said. “They weren’t helping us. It felt like they were working against us.”
By early 2026, nearly three years had passed since her children were removed, and a hearing to terminate her parental rights had been scheduled.
In mid-January, a referral reached us from a newly assigned guardian ad litem attorney who had taken over the case after the previous attorney stepped aside because of a conflict. She told us the termination hearing was set for the following week.
That is not usually when we get called.
Our work is typically focused on helping families before children are removed, not stepping into cases that have been open for nearly three years and are heading toward termination. But when the attorney reviewed the file, something did not add up.
By then, Aisha had secured stable housing, completed her case plan and continued complying with the court’s requirements. Reports indicated the children wanted to return home. The court-appointed special advocate and guardian ad litem attorney both supported reunification.
Yet the case was still moving toward termination.
The attorney referred Aisha to us for community support, help addressing mental health and practical needs, assistance gathering records before the hearing, and support preparing the home for the children’s return.
We had one week.
As we reviewed the records, it became clear that poverty had been the primary barrier, along with limited understanding of how to navigate the child welfare system. Aisha had made significant progress, but much of it had not been clearly documented in a way the court could easily evaluate.
Transportation, utilities and other basic financial needs had continued to create strain, even as she completed every required step. The family needed beds, household items and other essentials in place quickly. With the right documentation and support, those barriers could still be addressed.
That is why we agreed to take the case.
We called Aisha immediately.
Over the next week, we spoke with her several times, reviewed her records and helped her prepare for court. We helped her request medical records and gather documentation showing completed services, stable housing, utility payments and the condition of the home, including photographs.
We prepared a written summary and court report so the guardian ad litem attorney and the court could clearly see her progress. During that review, we identified information previously presented to the court that did not accurately reflect her situation or the requirements she had completed.
Before the hearing, we submitted a report documenting those discrepancies, the records Aisha had provided, and the support that would be in place during and after reunification. The report detailed the protective factors already present and the practical steps that would help the family maintain stability.
Transportation had long been a barrier, so for the hearing we arranged for an Uber ride to ensure Aisha could arrive safely and on time.
On the day of the hearing, we met her at the courthouse along with one of her sons, who had spent nearly three years in foster care.
When we asked what would make that day a good day or a bad day, he answered quietly.
“A good day is if I get to go home.”
He was 15 years old. When asked why, he answered simply: “Because I love my mom.”
Multiple sources, including court-appointed special advocates and the guardian ad litem attorney, presented recommendations to the judge. Our written report was also submitted.
Before the hearing began, we had to leave to respond to another family experiencing a crisis. By then, the guardian ad litem attorney and the court-appointed special advocates had made clear that they were recommending reunification.
According to Aisha, who remained in the courtroom, CPS argued against reunification. She said that when the judge asked why returning the children home was not a good idea, no clear explanation was given.
The judge overruled the objection, and ordered CPS to start transitioning the children back home, starting with visits and overnight stays. The first child returned home for good a few days later.
With reunification underway, the next step was preparing the home. Before the children returned, we launched a fundraiser for Aisha and created an Amazon wish list so supporters could send items directly to the family. Community members purchased beds, bedding, hygiene items, cleaning supplies, clothing requested for the children and even a basketball hoop and basketballs.
Once deliveries began arriving, volunteers spent a full day at Aisha’s home getting it ready for the children. They carried mattresses inside, assembled bunk beds and set up sleeping spaces. Packages lined the hallway as volunteers unpacked bedding, towels, kitchen items, hygiene products and cleaning supplies.
We also arranged a grocery delivery, including foods the children especially liked, to help the family while food assistance adjusted to the larger household.
As the children began returning home, household expenses increased. We helped with the electric bill, and additional supplies continued to be delivered as needed throughout the transition.
On Feb. 24, 2025, about two months after the termination hearing had been scheduled and about six weeks after we became involved, we received an update from the guardian ad litem attorney.
The case had closed.
Four of Aisha’s younger children returned home permanently. Her oldest child, 17 at the time, remained in his foster home so he could stay at his school, finish the year and graduate. He was preparing to age out of foster care. Aisha said he was doing well in school, spending time with his siblings and family, and that she supported his decision to remain where he was through graduation.
Aisha now attends our Family Cafés, monthly gatherings where families share a meal, connect with other families, gain practical skills, and build community.
“Everyone told me what to do,” she said. “You asked me what I needed, and then you helped. That made all the difference.”
Nearly three years passed between the day Aisha was shot and the day her children returned home. It took about two months from the time we first began — when the termination hearing was planned — to the reunification order.
Aisha says the children were doing well. But what stayed with her was the time they had lost.
“Good,” she said. “But why did they have to keep them away for so long? We lost years together. We missed each other so much.”
She paused, her voice cracking.
“There is no gunshot wound worse than losing my children for three years.”
