Norman's Story

Norman was a 17-year old when we filed our case. He has been in and out of DHS custody since 2011. Growing up in Oregon’s foster care system in a revolving door—Norman has lived in at least 50 placements due to DHS’s failure to provide services to meet his mental and behavioral health needs. He has experienced trauma, abuse, and neglect in the system which has resulted in anger issues. He is Native American and is now at St. Mary’s, where he cannot observe his native heritage. Despite years in the system, he has not been prepared for living independently for when he ages out of the foster care system.