When Stephanie was referred to Ascent...

She had been living in a Children's Home for over two years and was a survivor of significant sexual, physical, and emotional abuse from male relatives.  Stephanie was difficult to talk to and rarely opened up, usually remaining silent during visits.  She ran away several times and at one point, went missing for two weeks.  In response, Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) considered sending her to another facility several hours away from her home.  Ascent, along with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), advocated for Stephanie to stay in the region, and with Ascent services in place, DCFS made arrangements to send Stephanie home instead.  Stephanie was glad to be home with her mom but struggled to find her place in the community.  Things began to turn around when Stephanie started school and began weekly meetings with her Wraparound Facilitator to talk about strategies.  She seemed to look forward to the visits, even scolding her Facilitator when she thought a visit would be forgotten.  One morning, Stephanie sent a series of texts urging her Facilitator to get to the school as soon as possible, but she would not say what was happening.  At the school, a beaming Stephanie met her Facilitator with a report card that listed five A's, two B's, and one C.  Underneath in big, bubble letters she had written, "Yay, I did it! B Average!" After four months at home, Stephanie told her Facilitator, "The old me would have run away, but I don't want that anymore."