Lydia's Place: Aydan's Story

Three-year-old Aydan and his mother arrived at Lydia Place nearly six months ago. Lydia Place is a United Way partner agency that provides housing and support for homeless women and children in Whatcom County . Initially, Aydan’s behavior proved to be a challenge for his mother and the staff at Lydia Place.

“Around the house and in children’s group he was always screaming, crying, hitting his head on the wall and throwing fits when he didn’t get his way,” Family Services Coordinator Arianne Craven said.

After a special-needs assessment showed that Aydan was behind on his speech, motor skills and social skills, he began attending school five days a week and working with Lydia Place’s staff to learn to express his emotions in a safe way.

Now during his children’s group time, Aydan positively interacts with others and happily works on art projects.

“As a children’s group leader I witness a lot of amazing changes that occur at Lydia Place,” Craven said. “I get to see children go from being extremely shy and unable to express their feelings in a safe manner, to blossoming into strong, confident and outgoing people.”

Craven is proud of Aydan for putting what he has learned to use, and respects his mother for the accomplishments she has made with her parenting skills while at Lydia Place.

“I know that it hasn’t been easy for Aydan and his mom to live at Lydia Place,” Craven said. “I am honored to witness these types of changes that our families make during their six-month stay at Lydia Place.”