In just a few short months, a 17-year-old boy named Haven will age out of foster care and be forced to fend for himself. He’s now desperately seeking a family to call his own.
The teen living in Oklahoma City has been in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Humans Services since he was 12 years old.
After living in a shelter for the past five years, he says that he is losing hope that a forever family will adopt him. With his upcoming 18th birthday in October 2019, time is now running out for Haven.
Haven says that life at the shelter feels limiting and frustrating.
“It gets old,” he told the KFOR Oklahoma’s News Channel 4. “Just being there. Not being able to go out whenever I want.”
He is currently staying there with four other children who are in similar situations.
Getting a driver’s license, he adds, would go a long way in making him feel more confident and independent.
And like many teens his age, he also loves video games (Minecraft in particular) and hanging out with friends.
But besides all these, Haven’s real passion is to one day join the military, as it would entail “being a part of something bigger than myself,” and allow him to “travel the world.” That option might become his main focus should he fail to find the family he is so desperately seeking. He’s already got one foot in the door as a junior officer-in-training.
“I’m involved with Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, AKA JROTC,” he explained.
Yet, this young teen still understands the importance of having loving parents who will serve as role models and be able to guide and support him as he takes his first strides toward adulthood. He seems to grasp what he’s missing out on, perhaps better than some of us who have always had it.
“So you can have someone to help you, like be there for you if you need help,” he told KFOR. “Not just going into it all blind because that’s how you get into drugs and bad stuff like that.”
In his current, urgent situation, he adds that he’s not fussy about what kind of family he’d like, and at this point says he’s looking for “anyone who will take me.”
“I don’t really care. As long as it’s a family that will show love for me and be there for me,” said Haven.
For more information or if you’re considering adopting Haven, call Tom Peterson at (405) 325 9398.