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By Jennifer Myers
Lowell Sun
July 6, 2010
LOWELL -- "Lila" was 18 years old and homeless when she and her young son arrived at the Lawrence YWCA.
She never had a childhood. She had been shuffled from one foster home to another. Her father died of AIDS when she was 4 years old. Her mother was in and out of rehab.
In the year that "Lila" and her son lived at the YWCA, she earned her GED, found housing and went on to get her dental hygienist's certificate. "Lila" is now studying at Northern Essex Community College, working towards an associates degree in dental hygiene.
"These teens were probably set up for trouble from the day they were born, but they are good kids who just want a good life like everyone else," said Kathy McCabe, Director of the Teen Living Program at the Lawrence YWCA, which services 20 to 25 homeless teen mothers a year. "They are kids having kids and doing the best that they can. There is hope in them -- they just need that extra encouragement."
McCabe, who has worked at the YWCA for the last five years, was awarded the Sue Heilman Award for Excellence by Horizons for Homeless Children, an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1988 that serves homeless children and their families. The award was presented at the organization's annual recognition dinner at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston on June 7.
"Kathy continues to help us make a difference in the lives of homeless children and their families and because of the dedication of partners like her, we can work towards breaking the cycle of homelessness," said Sue Heilman, the CEO of Horizons for Homeless Children, which provides play spaces and volunteers for family shelters, like the YWCA.
McCabe, 59, who lives in Lowell with her husband Patrick, a deputy chief in the Lowell Fire Department, raised their five children before going back to school and getting into the social work game.
When she was nearly 40 years old, she enrolled at Middlesex Community College, where she earned an associates degree. She then went on to Rivier College for her bachelor's degree and earned her master's in January from Cambridge College. She worked at an adolescent rehabilitation facility for eight years prior to taking her current job.
"The misconception that people do not realize is that most people are a paycheck away from being homeless," McCabe said. "It can happen to anyone, but we are here to help these kids get on the right path and make a life for themselves and their children. We do what we can to break the cycle."
They come in from all over the state -- depressed, angry, scared. Their trust is slow to come. They are learning to live with rules for the first time in their lives.
"You try tell a 19-year-old mother that she has to be in at 4 o'clock," said McCabe. "The first couple of weeks are a culture shock, but if they make it through the first month, we know we have gained their trust and they will stay."
The program assists young mothers in earning their GEDs, and offers parenting and independent living classes, anger management and sex education. When a resident has a specific area that interests them, they are asked to prepare a presentation for the others.
"It takes so little to compliment them because they have gone through life without much validation," said McCabe, explaining that a "resident of the month" is chosen who receives a certificate and a Wal-Mart gift card. "It is just so simple. Everyone wants a pat on the back."
McCabe said that "Lila" still visits the YWCA. She invited McCabe and one of her colleagues to be her "parents" at a ceremony held by Jordan's Furniture for kids as they age-out of state care.
"We are her family," said McCabe. "It is sad, but it is good. I wouldn't work with any other population. These girls are anybody's daughter."
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From left, Sue Heilman, CEO, HHC, with Kathy McCabe of Lowell, Program Director of the YWCA Teen Living Program and HHC's Sarah Fujiwara.
Photo/Jacquie Spector
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