Tamara is only 24 years old, but she has already taken on a tremendous responsibility—keeping her family together.

Unfortunately, like many families, Tamara’s immediate family suffered from substance use disorder. As a result, during her childhood Tamara conducted most of the caretaking functions of a parent for her two younger siblings. When she was only 17, Tamara’s mom passed away suddenly.

“They found drugs in her system,” she explains. “Ultimately, they tested our dad, and he had drugs in his system.”

Because of this, Tamara and her siblings were taken from their father and placed with another relative. Shortly after, their guardian became ill and couldn’t care for them anymore. Their great aunt and uncle finally took custody of Tamara, her younger brother, and her younger sister.

Tamara, along with her siblings, faced a difficult dynamic while living with their great aunt and uncle, where mental abuse was common and their basic needs for food and care were neglected. During this time, Tamara took on the role of a parent, stepping up to provide for and protect the children. When Tamara was 18, they kicked her out of the house. She had no way to support herself and luckily had friends who took her in until she could get on her feet.  Tamara worked tirelessly to support herself and build a meaningful life, her determination shaping her into a strong woman. During this time, her younger siblings were adopted by their great aunt and uncle.

Tamara started her relationship with Legal Aid of WV (LAWV) shortly after that.

Her first step was becoming the adoptive mother of her niece, who was at risk of being taken into State custody by Child Protective Services (CPS).

After a successful adoption, Tamara, her niece, and Tamara’s fiancé became a functional family, but her siblings were still in a bad situation. That’s when Tamara met Amber, an attorney with LAWV’s Lawyer in the School program.

“Amber gave me hope, which I didn’t really have at the time,” Tamara says. “I was really worried. My fiancé works, but a lawyer is just so expensive. It felt like a miracle that LAWV had a program like this, especially when it felt like no one could help us.”

Tamara made every effort to maintain a relationship with her great aunt and uncle so she could continue spending time with her younger siblings. Most weekends she brought them to her home, where she provided the care and attention they lacked, all the while deeply troubled by the neglect she witnessed. Her siblings also began reporting incidents of physical and severe mental abuse. Tamara gently questioned her great aunt about concerns her siblings shared, but her attempts were met with anger. Eventually, and they cut off all contact between Tamara and her siblings. Not long after, her 17 year old brother was forced out of their home—just as Tamara had been—conveniently before the state subsidy checks would end.

Amber first helped Tamara get minor guardianship of her brother, as he was 17 years old and getting ready to start his senior year of high school.  

“I officially got guardianship of my brother late last year,” Tamara says. “My younger sister was still living with my great aunt and uncle, and they kept us from seeing her. I hadn’t seen my sister in 10 months, and I knew they weren’t treating her right.”

Amber listened to Tamara’s concerns and tried to manage expectations.

“She said, I can’t guarantee you’ll get guardianship, but I’ll do what I can. She worked hard to get everything together. She did promise me that me and my brother would at least be able to see my sister again.”

This spring, after a long contentious hearing, Tamara and Amber were able to secure custody of Tamara’s sister. Now, they are a family of five, excited to have been reunited and have a chance to thrive. Both children are succeeding in school and in a happy, caring home environment.

“We’ve got the entire family together again. We were all separated from each other after we were taken. It’s amazing having everyone here and watching everyone grow up together. Our mother always wanted us to be together. That was a big motivation too.”