What do we learn in a home visit?

When we visit the home of one of the residents we learn much more than we could ever glean from the official documents and reports that accompany a young person in conflict with the law.  As we approach the home of one of the boys here, we are already aware of the economic challenges facing his family.  Usually when we arrive at the house, we are invited inside and there we find a mother or grandmother, father or grandfather struggling to feed and care for the siblings of our resident.  We see houses damaged by storms and we enter simple dwellings without running water, electricity or any sort of kitchen, save for a few pots near a wood fire just outside.  We see medical conditions that are largely untreated: infections, injuries, respiratory ailments and cancers.  We often seen families that have disintegrated - affected by economic distress, crime and addiction.  But what is most amazing to us is that we almost always find a mother or grandmother (less often a father) who is holding on to the hope that the boy we bring home to visit will be the one who lifts his family out of poverty.  They reach out to us, always grateful and willing to share with us the very little that they have.  A visit without tears is a rare event and these occasions can tear at one's heart, but as we depart we leave our promise - that we will do whatever we can for this particular boy to make hope happen for him and for his family.