Samuel was born in Jamaica. When he was 5 years old his father immigrated to the United States and his mother to Toronto, leaving him and his sister in the care of their aunt. When Samuel was nine, his mother sponsored his sister and him to come to Toronto, Canada. Here he lived with his mother, sister, half-brother and eventually his mother had two more children. After years of growing up in Rexdale, his mother was finally granted subsidized housing through Toronto Community Housing Corporation and they had to move to a new community when he was 16 years old. The community he came from and new community he moved to have a long history of gang involved turf war. Samuel did not want to live in this community and was very upset. By age 18, Samuel had become increasingly involved with gang activity in his neighborhood. Some of the gang involvement required him to sell small amounts of Crack-cocaine, Cannabis and Methamphetamine. The gang also took part in operating underground illegal gambling as well as took part in violent acts against their rivals.
Over recent months Samuel had witnessed several extreme acts of violence towards others. On one evening while walking home from the store, Samuel was physically assaulted by several members of a rival gang. During his recuperation, Samuel turned to the substances he was distributing and began to self-medicate as a method of pain relief from his injuries. Over the several weeks Samuel was recovering, he was consuming large amounts of all three substances he had in his possession and became heavily addicted. As he was unable to distribute these substances while recovering, Samuel became indebted to his gang for the drugs he consumed and did not sell. The higher level gang members told Samuel that he would have to pay back the money he owed with interest. The gang, knowing Samuel was addicted to the substances, also stated that they would not be giving him anymore drugs to sell until they were paid back in full.
With the little money Samuel had left from his drug deals, Samuel turned to illegal underground gambling in hopes of gaining the money he owed. Samuel did win a few times, but would often not quit while he was ahead and bet high and eventually lose all his funds. Samuel got several loans from the gambling establishment, however he would continue to lose more times than he won. In desperation, Samuel began stealing from his family members. On one occasion Samuel stole and sold his families TV, computer and gaming console to get money to support his gambling and substance addictions. His family confronted him on this and asked him to begin looking for a new place to live. Samuel’s mother told him she was there to support him, but he needed to get his life together. Samuel began to prioritize his substance and gambling addiction over everything else. One evening Samuel was forcefully removed from the gambling establishment as he was intoxicated and began to get physical when denied a loan. The gang members had also began calling Samuel’s home and threatening his family if they did not pay what Samuel owed. With not knowing what to do, Samuel has contacted you as a practitioner for support.
- Using the chart below, outline a plan of support for Samuel that includes each area of need, resource, contact information, and timeline. Plan for at least 5 areas of need.
- Explain why and how you think these resources would be beneficial and would help Samuel address his needs.
- How would you support Samuel in executing this plan?
- How else could you support him?
