 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

