Eli's Story
“Eli” and his mother, “Esperanza,” came to Mosaic’s emergency shelter, Mosaic House, late one evening to escape a home filled with violence. Soon after their arrival, Esperanza was able meet with Mosaic’s Child Advocate and discuss her worries about Eli who was non-verbal and very physically aggressive for his age. The Child Advocate worked with Esperanza to help her understand that due to witnessing and experiencing abuse at home, Eli was now experiencing developmental delays. The Child Advocate referred both Esperanza and Eli to meet with Mosaic’s counselors and arranged for Eli to meet with specialists at a local hospital who were able help address Eli’s lack of communication skills.

Today, Eli and his mother have moved out of the shelter and in to their own apartment. They continue to meet with Mosaic's counselors, and Eli has made great progress in overcoming his developmental delays.

Many of the women that seek shelter from domestic violence or human trafficking at Mosaic House arrive with their children, who have witnessed or experienced abuse. Mosaic's Child Advocate works with Mosaic's other departments and with other local non-profits to provide specialized services for the children residing at Mosaic House including counseling, school enrollment, age-appropriate safety planning, field trips, birthday parties, and after-school tutoring. Mosaic's Child Advocate also works with Mosaic's counselors to provide parenting classes for victimized mothers to help them understanding how family violence is affecting their children and to teach positive disciple skills.

Children exposed to family violence are at risk to repeat their experience in the next generation, either as victims or perpetrators of violence in their own relationships. Providing specialized services for the children of our survivor clients is a key strategy in our efforts to break the cycle of family violence with North Texas communities.