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About Trust House, a Thresholds residence
This letter was sent to Thresholds by a parent of a member who recently moved into one of the agency’s housing programs on Chicago’s North Side
My son (age 22) has been at Trust House for almost 3-weeks. Placing him there was probably the most difficult decision I’ve ever made. Not because of separation issues (we’ve had him away at school for years), but because of the age population at Trust House. We were quite concerned about his reaction, looking like the quintessential “punk rocker,” a façade that is all “show.”
My son LOVES Trust House! He feels he is safe, he is not isolated, he stays up late talking to other members old enough to be his parents, he tells me about their bipolar disorder, he is eating dinner with everyone (something he never did at school in Connecticut with the teens—too much stimulation for him), he is following the rules, he is not disturbing people with his loud music (they must all be hearing impaired!), he has set up his electric guitar and amp in the basement, he is doing his laundry, he loves the staff (one young staff member is in a punk rock band!), he is processing issues with staff…in a word, he is happy.
From our perspective as parents: my cell phone does not ring 30 times a day; he only calls once or twice a day. He does not want to sleep here on weekends (“Mom, why would I want to do that?”). He is safe. He has people to process and talk to. His medications are managed—even the refills. He is eating every day. We no longer worry about him leaving the stove on or the bathtub running. His illness is stable. He is having less panic attacks because he is not as anxious as when he was trying to live on his own. If I don’t hear from him, I assume he is happy and not dead. I don’t worry all the time; he is with people who truly care about him. I am getting out of crisis mode. In a word, we are amazed!
And now for your prophetic words—which I did not believe—my relationship with him is much better. I am not so frustrated, angry, and scared.
Thank you, Thresholds.
Signed, a Thresholds parent
Thresholds manages more than 75 residences throughout the Chicagoland area. These residences vary is size, location, and degrees of supervision, depending on the individual needs of their members. All the Thresholds homes, however, are characterized by a warm, family-like atmosphere and structured environment to aid the transition to community living. More than 800 Thresholds members live in agency managed residences.
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