Hope for a better future

By Sherry Larson

People’s Defender

There are times when a dose of reality leaves one gut-wrenched. Can we make a difference? Is the work worth it? These are questions that enter our minds. And the answer is an emphatic – “Yes!”

Once again, this reporter was fortunate enough to sit down with two more Adams County catalysts for change, Angela Jordan and Jeremy Huffman. Jordan and Huffman are in the trenches working towards a better quality of life for our marginalized youth.

Jeremy has worked in law enforcement for 24 years. In 2018, he joined the probation team at Adams County. This year, Huffman was offered the opportunity to work with juveniles through the Health Department in a different capacity as Youth Services Supervisor. Angela Jordan, the Community Coordinator for the Adams County Health Department, was confident he would be a great fit. Huffman said, “Many of these kids already know me – they just look at me differently now. I’m not the one locking them up – I’m trying to help them.”

Jordan’s background is in Human Services and Counseling. Jordan describes, “I go anywhere that’s needed. Currently, I’m helping build the Oliver School programs. The Oliver School offers mental health and educational services for a small number of Adams County students whom the school’s intervention specialists refer to the program. Jordan connects youth to mental health and services through the University of Cincinnati.

Huffman spends most of his work week at the courthouse. He works with Children Protective Services, kids on probation, and children involved with the courts in some fashion. He refers the youth he serves to psychological and psychiatric services through UC and performs case management. His caseload at present is a staggering approximately 90 children.

Jordan interjects that the health department serves an estimated 500 youth and juveniles in some capacity through this and other programs. She started working with adults coordinating psychiatric services through UC, and now she does both adults and children. Jordan conducts drug and alcohol assessments and counseling for adults. Her new venture is running Therapeutic Behavior Services for the children at Oliver School and teaching coping skills and de-escalation of situations. The goal is to help the youth regulate behaviors.

Youth Coordinators in Adams County schools help with challenges there. Youth Coordinators train and are credentialed professionals who provide services to students, and there is a need for more. Unfortunately, there needs to be more funding for licensed individuals in Adams County. Jordan states, “We will train right here. We will set you up with everything you need.”

When asked about his main concerns, Huffman shared, “My kids are already in the custody of CPS or on probation. They already have trauma. That’s the number one thing. They’ve already been through it, or they were placed in seven or eight placements already.” Jordan echoes, “It’s that hopelessness that they feel.”

An Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) questionnaire tool enables the Health Department to gauge childhood trauma. Based on the 10 ACES of trauma, children answer yes or no to the following life experiences: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, mental illness, divorce, substance abuse, violence against your mother, and having a relative who has been sent to jail or prison. Many of the responses are layered. Jordan said, “Our kids score very high on this questionnaire,” and estimated that many of the students surveyed have more than 5 “yes” answers. “The kids need a lot of resources,” Jordan communicated. “Kids come to me and say, ‘I already know that I’m going to end up in the Juvenile Detention Center, and when I’m done there and aged out, I’ll be in Adams County Jail.’” Huffman adds his experience with children who have experienced much trauma and so many life changes that their adverse behaviors are alarming.

These self-described prophecies are dismal, and folks like Jordan and Huffman are boots on the ground working to make a change. Jordan stated, “That’s something we’re hoping to change by being in the schools – giving a kid a sense of hope. We can do better! We can get these better grades; we can get you to de-escalate and not be so angry. You don’t have to end up in JDC – you don’t have to end up in jail!” She continues, “They’re still children – we have to have hope there is something we can do.”

And there is hope. Huffman shares that he’s recently had kids who were formerly on probation reach out to him with interest in becoming involved in the criminal justice system. Jordan reveals that many children she works with don’t know how to perceive her “soft approach.” She said, “It takes a lot of time to build trust with a child. It isn’t going to be a quick fix. We must meet kids, due to trauma, where they are developmentally.” Huffman said, “It’s helping; I see it every day. I’ve had kids that have turned around.” Jordan agrees, “If there’s one, that means there can be two.” Kids share. Jordan said a child will tell another child, “I’ve been through some of that same stuff.”

Jordan explained, “If we didn’t work in this field, we wouldn’t see all of this. As a community, we must realize that these kids’ trauma is so high. But there is hope – programs like our UC services and our counselors going into the schools.” She detailed the sequence we’ve reported on frequently about the collaboration of the Health Department, courts, schools, CPS, and other notable organizations in the county. She stated, “It’s amazing to see other big community partners.” She praised Adams Countians saying, “They all have big hearts for our kids. I think now that they’re starting to see how the trauma has affected our children and how they are struggling, they want to come together and see what we can do as a community to offer safe places for kids and healthy alternatives.”

Another critical discussion, often overlooked, is how folks like Jordan and Huffman take care of themselves. Compassion doesn’t take a holiday, but constant engagement in the social services field can take a personal toll, so the need for more professional support in the schools is crucial to avoid burnout. As we discuss this vital self-care component, Huffman says, ” Now imagine the kid who has no food on the table. The one who saw his sister get sexually abused, The child with no clothes on his back. We wonder why he runs away and smokes pot. That’s probably his way to get away.”

And there it is – the empathy and understanding that life is much more than our tribe and experience. Jordan and Huffman have a keen sense of the challenges facing our youth, and more importantly, they have hope for a better tomorrow. Nelson Mandela said beautifully, “Our human compassion binds us the one to the other – not in pity or patronizingly, but as human beings who have learnt how to turn our common suffering into hope for the future.”