Brooklyn nonprofit helps parents facing challenges keep custody of kids

NEW YORK – Struggles like mental health challenges and homelessness can put parents at risk of losing custody of their children, but a program in Brooklyn is working to help lower that risk.

The Institute for Community Living's Emerson Davis Family Residence is a unique supportive housing model in Brooklyn that serves parents with mental health challenges and histories of homelessness who are at risk of losing custody or looking to regain custody of their children.

Despite the main facility undergoing renovation, the program operates 16 treatment apartments out in the community and almost 100 family supportive housing units. It serves parents all over the city, and leaders say it's the only program of its kind.

"I didn't have anybody. I was alone."

CBS New York's Hannah Kliger spoke to Jennifer Miles, a new mom who grew up in the foster care system and dealt with mental health challenges along the way.

"I didn't have anybody. I was alone," she said.

Miles entered the foster care system at 2 years old, growing up bouncing between homes.

"I just really felt like I wasn't worth anything, that I just wasn't going to be anybody ... The more I felt that way, the more I felt angry and the more I handled my anger in the wrong ways," she said.

When she found out she was pregnant, she was referred to the Emerson Davis Family Residence. Sharon Sorrentino, Vice President of Residential Services at the nonprofit, identified Miles as a candidate.

"She wanted to change the path that she could potentially have been on. You know, she didn't want her son to have the same experiences that she had," Sorrentino said.

Now, Miles has stable housing in Crown Heights and a case manager who provides support and checks up on her and her 9-month-old son, Lucas.

"It's the balance of having them be independent and be on their own and living like everybody else, but also have the supports that they need to be successful," Sorrentino said.

"I want him to be better than me. I want him to finish school, go to college, learn how to control his emotions. I'm going to be there through every step," Miles said of her son.

The goal is to keep families like Miles' together and ensure children grow up in a safe and supportive environment.

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