Kids Kottage One

I lived most of my teenage life in these buildings. I spent 10 months in the 'facility' before being given the option to go to a foster home. I was the oldest kid there for most of the time. I ran away alot there. It's like a prison. Most of the staff are aged out foster kids. Every door has an alarm. You can't take a shit without a speaker announcing "BATHROOM TWO OPEN". If you were out of sight for more than five minutes your considered a runaway. They take your room and your forced to sleep on a hard cot in the living room. All the teens would get into fights. Everyone was hurting. And we were treated like it was our fault we were put there. Not the adults responsible for us. I ran away regularly. At 17 I needed a job, I needed the opportunity to work. I knew at this point I was aging out. They refused. So after school I would run away, I would call them, tell them I would be back after work. AND I RETURNED every time. Yes I didn't have my room. But I had money. Eventually they got used to it. In my eyes, they couldn't trust me. So I made them. I was the only kids who aged out of foster care, who was strictly independent. I refused every foster parent who wanted me. I worked at the mall six days a week. Went to school in the morning. Ate at work and went shopping for what I needed. I was the only foster kid who road the city buses as my only form of transportation. My social worker wanted to give me the option of emancipation. But I chose to continue the next year to save up. I had plenty of negative experiences. But instead of taking it all personally, I took advantage. By the time I aged out, the judge told me I was a "once in a lifetime case". Two years before hand he had told me "Only 2% of foster kids graduate highschool and less that 1% graduate college." Talk about a stab in the chest. Instead of saying "goodbye and thank you" I said , "Stop treating kids as if they are stupid. We are your future. It's time to treat as like such." An di turned and left.

This place is one of the worst places you could end up in. They need to hire better and more qualified workers because they don’t know how to take care of the kids and have no empathy.

Myself and my 5 siblings were here when we were younger and it was a great place. You always had a friend and the staff were amazing! We got allowance and got to go on outings. My memory is very fond of this place. Thanks so much for being a stepping stone in my life.

My brother and I stayed here off and on many times over a course of a few years and later my sister did too. From what I remember the staff was very kind and caring. I felt they listened to me and let me have my emotional outburst in a safe manner. We came in with no clothes and no items of our own; they supplied us with both. They sepereatebthe biysband girls down hallways and go venus chores to keep us on track. Also we are were able to earn point to go on field trips. It was a safe place.

My sister and I stayed here when we were way younger. It was a stepping stone as we waited for foster care placement. From what I can remember it was a good place for kids.