{"id":265797,"date":"2022-04-10T07:14:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-10T12:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=265797"},"modified":"2022-04-08T18:48:46","modified_gmt":"2022-04-08T23:48:46","slug":"16-homeless-shelter-helping-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/16-homeless-shelter-helping-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"At 16, her brother abandoned her at a homeless shelter. Now, she’s helping other kids like her."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Tamara Vest grew up in foster care, and eventually aged out of the system, seemingly condemning her to a bleak future. But Vest has since graduated from college, is working towards a master’s degree, and is now employed as a social worker \u2014 all to better help other foster children like her.<\/p>\n

Vest aged out of foster care in Kentucky at the age of 17, after having a rough childhood. Her mother was a lifelong drug addict who wasn’t often in her life, and her father died from lung cancer when she was nine years old. “They had to carry me out of the funeral home because I couldn\u2019t bear the thought of leaving him,\u201d Vest told TODAY Parents<\/a>. \u201cIt had always been just the two of us. I didn\u2019t have anyone else.\u201d Though her mother was still alive, she wasn’t able to take care of her \u2014\u00a0something that still hurts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s always something I struggle with,\u201d she said, in an interview with Spectrum News<\/a>. \u201cIt hurt me when I was a child. But I never really completely understood the loss until I was older.\u201d<\/p>\n

After losing her father, Vest went to live with her older brother and his wife, who were given custody. But the new arrangement did not work out well, as she faced neglect, along with emotional and physical abuse. \u201cFrom day one, they made it very clear that they didn\u2019t want me,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery night that I spent in that house, I had dinner alone while they sat together in another room.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Love Them Both: 7 ways to support families investigating the adoption or foster care process<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Vest was punished frequently for the smallest indiscretions, including absolutely necessary things like eating and drinking, or using a tampon. \u201cI was only allowed to eat or drink when they said I could,\u201d Vest recalled. \u201cOne night I was so thirsty that I drank snow cone syrup from the pantry. If they heard me turn on the sink to get water… it wouldn\u2019t have been good.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hated going home each day, and school became her refuge. “I was scared to speak up in fear that it might make the situation worse, or that I would end up in foster care \u2014 ironically,” she said. But one day, at age 16, she did tell school counselors about the abuse. She came home afterwards, and her brother told her to pack her things… and then dropped her off at a homeless shelter. \u201cMy brother decided he didn\u2019t want to take care of me anymore.”<\/p>\n

From there, Vest was in the foster care system, going from home to home until she was placed in a living facility for teenagers. She lived in an apartment, which she paid for through rental assistance and a grocery subsidy. Though she did well being independent, she still wanted a family. \u201cI remember begging people to adopt me,\u201d she said. \u201cAll I wanted was parents. You never outgrow the need for someone to care about you. It was incredibly lonely living on my own when my friends all had families cheering them on and teaching them to drive and stuff.”<\/p>\n

Still, Vest thrived at school, graduating with straight A’s a semester early, and then graduated from the University of Kentucky summa cum laude. This makes her a rarity; less than 10%<\/a> of foster youth graduate from college. Aging out of foster care can also come with other problems<\/a>: children who age out of foster care are also at extremely high risk for homelessness, unwanted pregnancy, substance abuse, unemployment, criminal activity, and more. Yet Vest beat the odds, and she’s now working on her master’s degree. She chose to pursue a field inspired by the people who had helped her the most: social workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were the only people who heard my voice and believed in me when no one else did,\u201d she said. \u201cOne social worker paid my phone bill out of her own pocket. One social worker would help me with feminine hygiene products. In many ways, they were my family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Vest works as as social worker, and supervises the Kentucky Foster Youth Advocacy Council. It’s a job she feels passionately about. \u201cThey trust me because I\u2019ve been there. I\u2019m able to get on their level and say, \u2018Hey, I understand,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cI love being somebody they can look up to. These kids aren\u2019t getting nurtured and told, \u2018Hey, you can go to college.\u2019 So I want them to see me and say, \u2018I can do something with myself.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike\u201d Live Action News on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0for more pro-life news and commentary!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tamara Vest grew up in foster care, and eventually aged out of the system, seemingly condemning her to a bleak future. But Vest has since graduated from college, is working towards a master’s degree, and is now employed as a social worker \u2014 all to better help other foster children like her. Vest aged out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":265913,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[9455,3473],"tags":[2408,16774,16773,12714],"yoast_head":"\nAt 16, her brother abandoned her at a homeless shelter. 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