Opened a gofundme on behalf of Liz

My brother’s Journey

With a heavy heart, I wanted to share an update about my brother. As many of you know, I recently posted about him finally getting the services he needed. Unfortunately, it turns out the intake was done without his full records—just verbal communication from behavioral health and the hospital discharge forms.

For three years, my brother lived in a group home in Yuma, AZ that provided no services, no real support, and no effort to help him progress. Every meeting, every request for help, was met with resistance. No one would accept responsibility. Instead of behavioral therapy,ABA & FBA, which he desperately needed, every challenge or behavior was met with a call to crisis teams or the police. They medicated him over and over again, yet no one actually helped him.

One of the worst moments came when the group home called the police on him. Despite his mobility issues with his hands, they put him in handcuffs. He had no idea what was happening or why. The police then tried to place him on a psychiatric hold, but because he has autism and is limited in his speech, the psychiatric facility refused to take him. So, instead, they sent him to the hospital—again. Another trip, another place where no one truly knew how to help him, to make matters worse nobody ever called us, it wasn’t till after an hour that we called to check in on Chris and we were told he was taken, but couldn’t give us any direct information, the panic began calling the CEO, police, psychiatrists hold and hospital to find my brother Chris.

This home gave us hope, They painted a beautiful picture of what his life would look like under their care—promises of proper support, trained staff, and a safe environment. But it was all about money. They lacked the training to help him and wouldn’t even make basic safety repairs, like fixing a broken window, leaving him exposed to the elements and in danger. His medications weren’t given correctly, and eventually, things got so bad that adult protective services (APS) had to investigate. He ended up in the ER, then ICU—another consequence of the neglect he faced.

After that nightmare, he was placed somewhere new, but they didn’t even have his records. How does that happen? After everything he had already been through, he was forced to start over again, with people who had no understanding of his needs or history.

In previous meetings, I clearly explained that he requires 2:1 staffing and help with daily hygiene—bathing, cleaning after bowel movements, and monitoring while he sleeps due to his seizures. Despite this, the CEO admitted to making assumptions and acknowledged the mistakes made. Behavioral Health also failed to provide the correct information causing such negligence.

What’s even more heartbreaking is that IF we had left Chris there and he had an accident or passed a bowel movement, they wouldn’t have been able to clean him because they lack the “proper certification” had they reviewed his record they would have known his needs. The negligence in this process is overwhelming. After days of being in the ER/ICU, we were hopeful, but this situation has been devastating.

This is the reality for individuals with disabilities who fall through the cracks of a system that is supposed to protect them. The cycle of neglect, mismanagement, and broken promises continues, and families are left fighting an uphill battle just to get basic care and safety.

Chris desperately needs a behavior therapist, and it’s disheartening to see the system fail him over and over again. My family and I are doing everything we can, but we can’t do it alone. I’ve decided to open a GoFundMe to hire a behavior therapist directly.

If you or someone knows of any private group homes as temporary residence to get services and then find a permanent place, or resources that could help navigate or reform this system please reach out. No one should have to endure what my brother has gone through.

Please keep him in your thoughts as we continue to fight for the care he deserves