“Allysa” first entered the Almost Home program as a 15-year-old mother.  She did well, and decided to move in with her boyfriend and his mother.  They took away her small savings, which she accumulated while in our program (a requirement, to serve as a future nest-egg); they also took her support checks and discouraged her from bettering herself.  She returned to Almost Home, determined not to be distracted from her goals.  But she was forcibly removed by her extended family, which also took her support checks and planned a life of prostitution for her.  A furtive, late-night phone call enabled us to rescue her and bring her back to safety.  She overcame all this to graduate as Valedictorian of her class, winning a scholarship to a local college.