Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Foster Care Utopia
FAMILIES ARE MOVING INTO A NEW INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS THAT AIMS TO GO BEYOND THE BONDS OF COMMUNAL LIVING. IT'S TRYING TO CREATE A SOCIAL AND SUPPORT NETWORK FOR FAMILIES ADOPTING CHILDREN FROM THE STATE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. KAREN BROWN REPORTS.
Ambi?i don't like that kind -- ....
[Cart No:
Time: 54s
Title: treehouse amb - snacktime
Description: treehouse amb - snacktime
Out-cue: ]
CHRISTINE FLANNERY IS DOLING OUT ICE CREAM AND YOGURT TO HER CHILDREN BEFORE THEY RUN OUT TO PLAY IN THEIR NEW NEIGHBORHOOD.... SHE AND HER HUSBAND ADOPTED THESE FOUR SIBLINGS SEVEN YEARS AGO FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AFTER THEY'D BEEN TAKEN FROM THEIR BIOLOGICAL PARENTS AND SHUTTLED AMONG FOSTER HOMES. AT THE TIME SHE CRAVED A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO HELP THEM GET SETTLED IN HER HOME, AND TO COPE WITH THE RESIDUE OF ABUSE THEY SUFFERED, BUT WHEN SHE ASKED DSS FOR HELP, THERE WAS LITTLE AVAILABLE.
[Cart No:
Time: 28s
Title: treehouse ax - help out there
Description: flannery
Out-cue: youre handicapped]
[[AX (CHRISTINE)?.[is there any help out there?] well, they could give me vouchers to send my kids off to day care.0:15:38.9 and i was like, i don't want to send them to day care to pp i don't know. i was like -- could someone help me with laundry? 'well, not unless you're handicapped.' ]]
THEN, LAST APRIL, FLANNERY HEARD ABOUT A NEW SOCIAL EXPERIMENT IN EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS WHERE SHE BELIEVES FOSTER FAMILIES, LIKE HERS, CAN FIND THE NETWORK THEY NEED. WITHIN TWO MONTHS, SHE AND HER HUSBAND PACKED UP THE FAMILY HOME NEAR BOSTON, WHERE CHRISTINE LIVED SINCE CHILDHOOD, AND MOVED INTO THE TREEHOUSE COMMUNITY. IT'S A COMMUNAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT DESIGNED FOR TWELVE FAMILIES RAISING FOSTER OR ADOPTED CHILDREN FROM STATE CUSTODY. THERE?S ALSO ROOM FOR 48 ?FOSTER GRANDPARENTS? ? LOW-INCOME SENIORS WHO ARE EXPECTED TO MIX WITH AND SUPPORT THE YOUNGER FAMILIES.
[Cart No:
Time: 16s
Title: treehouse ax - multi gen comm
Description: cockerton
Out-cue: about each other]
[[AX(JUDY) i think a lot of it is based on common sense and humanity.]]
JUDY COCKERTON IS THE FOUNDER OF TREEHOUSE -- AN ENERGETIC BOSTON NATIVE, AND HERSELF AN ADOPTIVE MOTHER.
[[ you take children and parents and elders and you live in a multigenerational community the way we used to live. and pp care about each other....]]
COCKERTON MODELED HER UTOPIAN VISION ON A COMMUNITY IN ILLINOIS CALLED HOPE MEADOWS ? WHERE, FOR TEN YEARS NOW, FOSTER FAMILIES HAVE LIVED AMONG SENIORS ON A FORMER AIR FORCE BASE. COCKERTON TEAMED UP WITH A PRIVATE DEVELOPER -- AND WENT ABOUT DUPLICATING THE PROJECT. BUT FIRST THEY HAD TO GET PAST LOCAL OPPOSITION FROM EASTHAMPTON RESIDENTS WHO ARGUED THAT THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS COULDN?T ABSORB A LARGE, POTENTIALLY TRAUMATIZED, GROUP OF CHILDREN. THEN, AS LAND PRICES WENT UP, TREEHOUSE HAD TO ABANDON ITS ORIGINAL IDEA OF OFFERING FREE RENT TO FOSTER FAMILIES ? INSTEAD, SOME OF THE HOUSING IS SUBSIDIZED, AND SOME IS MARKET RATE. AND FINALLY THIS SUMMER, PEOPLE STARTED MOVING IN.
[Cart No:
Time: 14s
Title: treehouse amb - diaper changed
Description: treehouse amb - diaper changed
Out-cue: ]
[AMB: start baby ambi ... why are you crying?]
PAM SELAVKA IS CRADLING A 2-YEAR-OLD GIRL SHE TOOK IN SIX WEEKS AGO AND HOPES TO ADOPT.
AMB: Do you need your diaper changed? would you be more comfortable with a fresh diaper?
PAM IS A MASSAGE THERAPIST; HER HUSBAND NED TEACHES PRESCHOOL, AND THEY ALREADY HAVE A 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. THEY?RE ACTUALLY PAYING MORE TO LIVE AT TREEHOUSE THAN THE EASTHAMPTON HOME THEY OWN. BUT THEY FELT THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY THEY COULD HANDLE FOSTER PARENTING.
[Cart No:
Time: 21s
Title: treehouse ax - commonality
Description: ned selavka
Out-cue: ]
ned: there's a commonality between all the families. bc i think there are patterns within the system of kids who are abused and neglected, 0:00:26.9
[Cart No:
Time: 20s
Title: treehouse ax - lean on
Description: pam selavka
Out-cue: the courts]
p: if we adopt more children, we could lean heavily on the experiences of those around us, and not only the parents, but also seniors, who have a wealth of experience with children, with courts.0:01:53.5
LIKE RETIRED THERAPIST LYNN KNUDSEN, WHO'S DECORATING HER NEW SENIOR APARTMENT.
[Cart No:
Time: 19s
Title: treehouse amb - art on walls
Description: treehouse amb - art on walls
Out-cue: ]
AMB: "this is my son's artwork...."
THE SEVENTY-FOUR-YEAR OLD DIVORCED GRANDMOTHER WAS ALREADY LIVING IN A CO-HOUSING COMMUNITY WHEN SHE HEARD ABOUT TREEHOUSE -- AND WAS ATTRACTED TO ITS SOCIAL MISSION.
[Cart No:
Time: 14s
Title: treehouse ax - go to college
Description: lynn knudson
Out-cue: care about them]
AX: (LYNN) i know the story of what happens to most foster children and it's very tragic... 0:04:21.3 here these children will all end up going to colleges and having a good background bc they'll have pp that care about them.
IN MANY WAYS, KNUDSEN EMBODIES THE IDEALISTIC SENIOR THAT TREEHOUSE TARGETS. SHE LOVES CHILDREN, PLAYS GUITAR ? AND INVITES THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS OVER FOR SING ALONGS. BUT SHE WONDERS WHETHER SHE?S MORE OF THE EXCEPTION THAN THE RULE.
[Cart No:
Time: 21s
Title: treehouse ax - disappointing2
Description: lynn knudsen
Out-cue: afraid it's not]
i've met a few pp who have no interest in working with the kids. they've come 0:07:42.1 here for completely diff reasons bc maybe it was less expensive than another apartment or bc they could park more easily in front of their house, and that's been disappointing to me bc i thought everybody was coming in with idealistic reasons, [and i'm afraid i think it's not.]
WHILE THE COMMUNITY IS PUBLICIZED FOR ITS SOCIAL MISSION, HOUSING LAWS FORBID THE DEVELOPER FROM DISCRIMINATING AGAINST ANYONE. THE DEVELOPER CAN GIVE PRIORITY TO FAMILIES ADOPTING FROM DSS, OR TO SENIORS WHO?VE TAKEN A TRAINING COURSE IN FOSTER CARE. BUT SINCE THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE APARTMENTS THAN APPLICANTS ? ANYONE WHO'S INCOME ELIGIBLE, AND PASSES THE CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK, CAN MOVE IN.
AMB: POTLUCK AMBIENCE?.eating, talking
BUT MANY NEW RESIDENTS SAY THEYR'E NOT WORRIED -- IT JUST TAKES TIME FOR A COMMUNITY TO GEL. [BRING UP AMBI] TREEHOUSE HAS A COMMUNITY FACILITATOR ON STAFF, AND EVERY SUNDAY, THERE?S A POTLUCK DINNER AT THE TREEHOUSE COMMUNITY CENTER.
[Cart No:
Time: 68s
Title: treehouse amb - potluck conversation
Description: treehouse amb - potluck conversation
Out-cue: ]
FADE OUT POTLUCK AMBI?.
BUT AS THE COMMUNITY CREATES ITS OWN CHARACTER, SOME WONDER HOW IT WILL MESH WITH SOCIETY AT LARGE. CHRISTINE FLANNERY WORRIES THE PUBLICITY AROUND TREEHOUSE COULD BRING UNWANTED ATTENTION TO HER CHILDREN.
[Cart No:
Time: 11s
Title: treehouse ax - limelight - short
Description: treehouse ax - limelight
Out-cue: ]
we've kind of put ourselves in the limelight here... and i think there's a lot of stigma that goes along with kids in the system.
SO FAR, HER 12-YEAR-OLD SON NATHAN SAYS HE?S BEEN MAKING FRIENDS AT SCHOOL, AND ISN?T WORRIED ABOUT GETTING OUTED AS A FORMER FOSTER CHILD.
[Cart No:
Time: 11s
Title: treehouse ax - happy adopted
Description: nathan
Out-cue: i'm adopted]
I don't really mind, but if people do start making fun of me, i just say, well, that's their problem. if they want to make fun of me, they can. i'm just happy i'm adopted.
THAT?S THE SORT OF ATTITUDE TREEHOUSE SUPPORTERS HOPE WILL PROVE -- TO NEIGHBORS AND POLICY MAKERS -- THAT CHILDREN ADOPTED FROM STATE CARE CAN THRIVE ? IF THEY'RE IN THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT. THEY'VE ALREADY SOLD THE IDEA TO THE COMMISSIONER OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, HARRY SPENCE -- WHO AGREES THAT THE STATE'S FOSTER CARE SYSTEM HAS SERIOUS LIMITS.
[Cart No:
Time: 23s
Title: treehouse ax - on their own
Description: Commissioner Harry Spence
Out-cue: dream of]
once we place a child in an adoptive situation, in many ways, that child and family are on their own. .... the real work of supporting that family and creating a loving place for children who've suffered...is really something treehouse takes on in a way we could never even dream of.
D-S-S IS FUNDING TWO SOCIAL WORKERS BASED AT TREEHOUSE. BUT WITH ONLY TWELVE FAMILIES LIVING THERE, SPENCE ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROJECT IS RESOURCE-INTENSIVE. THAT?S WHY HE HOPES IT WILL BECOME A MODEL FOR OTHER TOWNS -- AND FOR DSS AS AN INSTITUTION.
[Cart No:
Time: 21s
Title: treehouse ax - engage with school
Description: Commissioner Harry Spence
Out-cue: PUSHED US TO DO]
how can we engage with the school, .... what are the churches in this area or temples...4:36 so thinking about all the ways the resources of a community can come to bear to support kids who've suffered terribly is really something that treehouse has pushed us to do.
THE COMMUNITY IS STILL WORKING OUT ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE HOST TOWN. TREEHOUSE HAD BEEN PAYING FOR SEVERAL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS IN EASTHAMPTON.
WHEN FUNDING RAN OUT THIS SUMMER, MANY LOCALS WERE UPSET. BUT TREEHOUSE RESIDENT PAM SELAVKA SAYS SHE'S CONFIDENT THEY'LL EVENTUALLY FIND GOOD FOOTING WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS ? AND EACH OTHER.
[Cart No:
Time: 14s
Title: treehouse ax - pollyana
Description: pam selavka
Out-cue: something like this]
i am aware that we sound a little like really optimistic, pollyanna type people, and i have to say that's exactly what we are, 0:00:10.0 ?.bc that's the kind of pp who are going to jumpstart something like this.
NEXT YEAR, TREEHOUSE LEADERS HOPE TO BUILD A BIG RED BARN WHERE FOSTER CHILDREN WILL GET ANIMAL THERAPY AND FAMILIES CAN GATHER FOR LECTURES AND EVENTS. THE DEVELOPER ALSO PLANS TO BUILD AND SELL MARKET-RATE HOMES TO NON-FOSTER FAMILIES ? AN EFFORT TO EXPAND THE TREEHOUSE SUPPORT NETWORK, AND KEEP IT SOLVENT. I'M KAREN BROWN.
Back
