Tom lived in several different foster homes before he came to an Albertina Kerr Centers group home when he was 16. “When I came here, I wasn’t up to anything,” he says. “I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and I was really depressed and suicidal. I like people but I had such a hard time because I didn’t know how to make friends.”

 

A tall, soft-spoken young man with a ready smile, Tom will leave the program when he turns 18. The staff has helped him find his first apartment and he’s researched and lined up job interviews on his own. “Tom has been really cooperative and works hard to stay in tune with his emotions,” says Elizabeth Cooper, program manager at Tom’s home.

 

To make sure Tom has support in his first venture out on his own, the staff is setting up a plan for Tom to connect with someone at Kerr at least once a month once he graduates and moves into his own apartment. Elizabeth says “He’s earned it. Tom has done a lot of research to get ready to be independent. Today, he’s learned how to get along with people. He’s been very involved in his own treatment and his goals are realistic. It has been a slow process but we are extremely proud of how far he’s come.”

 

“Now I know how to deal with my diagnosis and I can even administer my own medications,” says Tom. “I know that if I don’t take them, I’ll get off track. I appreciate the staff so much for all their good help and their hard work.”