OCTOBER 8 • 2020 | 23
bowling, hang out with friends
and watch movies. From his
apartment, Wolf watched
Temple Israel’
s High Holiday
services. “I was excited about liv-
ing on my own. There’
s nothing
hard about it.
”
As for the parents, they said
it was difficult initially, but
the growth and independence
they’
ve seen from their kids has
been remarkable.
“
At first, I was very anxious
and worried,
” said Helen Barron,
whose son Jacob, 30, just signed
his third one-year lease. “Were
they going to lock the door?
Would they remember to turn
off the oven or would he call if
there was a problem?”
Cohen added: “It was a hard
decision to move him out. We
know he’
s young, but we felt
there wouldn’
t be a difference
if we did it now versus 10 years
from now.
”
PERSONAL GROWTH
Barron and Cohen marvel at
the growth in their sons’
inde-
pendence and feel comfortable
with each of them living on their
own. They appreciate the fact
that their sons are part of a com-
munity and can make their own
decisions.
“I didn’
t want him to feel
isolated or living in a situation
where someone else would make
choices for him because he’
s
capable of making his own deci-
sions. It was very important for
him to feel and be as indepen-
dent as he can be,
” Barron said.
Although their sons are doing
well, the mothers’
work is far
from done. They are looking
to bring in an on-site, part-
time staff member to handle
nighttime emergencies, help the
residents resolve conflicts and
facilitate social activities. It’
s a
position they had hoped to fill
long ago, but securing funding is
challenging, and being in the
middle of a pandemic doesn’
t
help.
While the group is actively
fundraising, many of the events
they had were canceled or
modified because of COVID. A
No-Go July 4 party brought in
some revenue. The group is sell-
ing tribute cards and soliciting
donations on its website. Plans
include reaching out to local
businesses for support as well.
More information about Integrative
Neighborhoods of Oakland County
can be found at https://
integrative-neighborhoods.com.
Spencer Cohn and
Stanley Wolf
“It was very important for
my son to feel and be
as independent as he can be.”
— HELEN BARRON
Oober is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month
How can you get involved?
#3- Learn more!
Join us for a workshop on identifying healthy and unhealthy
practices within any relationship and learn practical tools for
offering support to individuals in crisis.
Fostering Healthy Relationships
Through a Supportive Community
with
#1- Flow the campaign
Jewish Family Service and JCADA are posting all month long on social
media to raise awareness of domestic abuse in our community.
Follow us, comment and share! Be part of the conversation.
#2- Reach out
If you or someone you love is experiencing domestic abuse, seek help.
Contact JFS at 248.592.2313 or resourcecenter@jfsdetroit.org
For 24-hour crisis and local support, contact HAVEN at 877.922.1274
National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.7233
For more information contact Sammie Rosenbloom at
248.592.2244 or srosenbloom@jfsdetroit.org
jfsdetroit.org
Dr. Shoshannah Frydman, PhD, LCSW
Executive Director, Shalom Task Force
Monday, October 19, 2020 at 7pm
Webinar ID: 941 2168 3140
Passcode: 094445