In August, amidst widespread uncertainty as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases began to appear nationwide, Kayla Roberson’s children were taken away from her.
There were several holes in Ms. Roberson’s cramped home in the Hill District, giving rodents and other pests unfettered access to rooms where she and her five children ate and slept. She said she was having trouble getting her landlord to repair them.
Once Allegheny County’s Office of Children, Youth and Families caught wind of the disrepair, along with other issues such as some of her children’s truancy, Hannah, 14, Jeremiah, 10, Darnell, 6, Heaven, 3, and Jeremy, 3 months, were placed into foster care.
“It was one of the toughest times of my life,” Ms. Roberson, 34, said candidly.
Her children’s relocation was not her only worry — her mother, whom she loved dearly and often depended on, had passed away less than a year before.
Ms. Roberson, who is currently unemployed and who struggles with anxiety and depression, said her situation could have been too much to bear if it wasn’t for Michael Martin, a family specialist at Three Rivers Youth.
Founded in 1880, Three Rivers Youth is a non-profit that provides services to at-risk youth, adults and families and also works to combat homelessness in the Pittsburgh area.
Through programs such as drug and alcohol interventions and treatments, foster care and family preservation services, TRY interacts with more than 5,500 individuals each year.
Mr. Martin, a Pittsburgh native and Marine Corps veteran, joined the organization full time in January 2016.
“I love that I have the opportunity to strengthen families with words and deeds, and with my Christian background it just became second nature to me,” Mr. Martin said. “The difficulty of this type of work can be too much for some people, especially at first, but I just took to it right away.”
Mr. Martin became involved with Ms. Roberson and her children about a year ago, after her original case worker left the organization.
Mr. Martin said he jumped at the chance to work with Ms. Roberson because he had interacted with the family previously.
Since then, Ms. Roberson said Mr. Martin, whom she affectionately calls “Mr. Mike,” has become a part of the family.
“Sometimes you just need that push from someone who’s looking out for you,” Ms. Roberson said. “[Mr. Martin] is that person for me.”
When the Roberson children were placed into foster care, he and TRY helped Ms. Roberson choose their foster family — friends of hers who live just a few doors down from her home.
Because of the close proximity, Ms. Roberson can see her children on a daily basis.
With Mr. Martin’s help, Ms. Roberson said she is focusing on goals to help get her life back on track — moving to a new, safer home in West Mifflin so she can get her children back, getting her GED and eventually finding a job and learning how to drive.
Ms. Roberson said that although she still has plenty of hurdles to clear, sharing her story is important because she wants to help inspire others in similar situations.
“I know there’s a lot ahead of me,” Ms. Roberson said, “but I’m ready to take it on. I’m ready to learn it all, because I need to provide a secure future for my kids, to make sure they’re set up to have a better life than I did.”
The holiday’s are particularly tough for Ms. Roberson and her children, though, especially with her mother now passed.
Although she wants to give her children the best Christmas she can, Ms. Roberson said she simply does not have the money this year to provide it.
Yet because of her involvement with TRY, all five Roberson children will receive gifts this year through Toys for Tots.
The Post-Gazette Goodfellows helps fund Toys for Tots, which provides toys for children in need in the Pittsburgh region during the holiday season.
To make a tax-deductible donation, go to www.post-gazette.com/goodfellows, or clip the coupon that is printed in this newspaper. By tradition, the Post-Gazette acknowledges every contribution, no matter the size, in the newspaper.
Nick Trombola: ntrombola@post-gazette.com
First Published: December 6, 2020, 11:00 a.m.
