Faces of 2013: Michelle and Zachary Schoolcraft
by Louis Llovio (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
WHY YOU KNOW THEM: In August, the mother and son, who suffer from severe mental health issues, were found living in a home filled with mounds of garbage, emaciated animals and piles of human feces. The floor in Zachary’s room was covered with garbage, and his mother was sleeping on a lawn chair on a back patio. There was no running water, so bathing was sporadic.
UPDATE: Since being removed from the Chester home they shared, the Schoolcrafts have seen their situation improve, but their caseworkers say there’s still a long way to go.
First the good news: They currently share a single room in a Richmond rooming house. They have access to bathrooms, running water and a kitchen.
Michelle is back on her medication and doing better. Zachary is getting life-skills training and actively looking for work.
“He’s doing pretty good, 100 percent better than before,” said Garrick Fitzgerald, a counselor for New Pathways Youth and Mental Health Services, which helped the family get out of the home and to the services they needed.
But the social workers caution that the Schoolcrafts are still a very long way from being in a good spot or reaching even a minimal level of what most would consider normalcy.
Fitzgerald said Zachary continues to look for work without much success. He has spent time in jail and is on the sex offender registry for an incident that occurred when he was in his teens. That means he has few options for employment unless someone gives him a break.
Not having work means he’s dependent on the little bit of money he gets for disability. But that is barely enough to support him and his mother while taking care of their responsibilities.
“He feels like he can’t catch a break,” Fitzgerald said. “After bills (are paid), he has nothing left. He’s not even living check to check, he’s living on less than check to check.”
As for Michelle, she’s on her medication now but is having a tough time paying for it, said Rebecca Kidd, also with New Pathways.
Kidd said she’s looking for a place where Michelle can get work, even if it’s just a small job. Her hope is to help find Michelle a job working with animals.
“If anyone out there is willing to help her, even with a minimal job,” that would go a long way, Kidd said.
UPDATE: Since being removed from the Chester home they shared, the Schoolcrafts have seen their situation improve, but their caseworkers say there’s still a long way to go.
First the good news: They currently share a single room in a Richmond rooming house. They have access to bathrooms, running water and a kitchen.
Michelle is back on her medication and doing better. Zachary is getting life-skills training and actively looking for work.
“He’s doing pretty good, 100 percent better than before,” said Garrick Fitzgerald, a counselor for New Pathways Youth and Mental Health Services, which helped the family get out of the home and to the services they needed.
But the social workers caution that the Schoolcrafts are still a very long way from being in a good spot or reaching even a minimal level of what most would consider normalcy.
Fitzgerald said Zachary continues to look for work without much success. He has spent time in jail and is on the sex offender registry for an incident that occurred when he was in his teens. That means he has few options for employment unless someone gives him a break.
Not having work means he’s dependent on the little bit of money he gets for disability. But that is barely enough to support him and his mother while taking care of their responsibilities.
“He feels like he can’t catch a break,” Fitzgerald said. “After bills (are paid), he has nothing left. He’s not even living check to check, he’s living on less than check to check.”
As for Michelle, she’s on her medication now but is having a tough time paying for it, said Rebecca Kidd, also with New Pathways.
Kidd said she’s looking for a place where Michelle can get work, even if it’s just a small job. Her hope is to help find Michelle a job working with animals.
“If anyone out there is willing to help her, even with a minimal job,” that would go a long way, Kidd said.
