Like the very first Family Reunification case that the Interfaith Family Shelter managed.
You may remember Ricky Naffziger, a single dad whose story touched our hearts many years ago. Ricky came to the Interfaith Family Shelter in 2019 – battling substance use disorder, terrified of losing custody of his baby daughter, and on the verge of giving up hope.
But he also had something that a lot of our former clients have: tons of grit.
Ricky visits with his former case manager, Jackie Rasco.
Ricky was in a very tough spot back in 2019. He was navigating homelessness and substance use disorder, and found himself in a jail cell when he was notified that he had just become a father. Several things became clear to him all at once, and he knew what he had to do: he wanted to be a dad to his baby daughter… and he wanted to find them a home.
Simultaneously, he was confronting a terrifying possibility: the foster family that was temporarily looking after his baby daughter, Angelina, had decided to relocate. He had very little time to come up with a solution.
Through the Sherriff’s office and community liaisons at the YWCA, Ricky was connected with the Interfaith Family Shelter. Gradually, he began to have hope that things might work out.
You can have all the hope in the world – but if you don’t have a team behind you, it’s nothing.
“Ricky’s was the very first family reunification that we did – he was the pilot trial. We did everything that we could to get them back together,” she says. Gradually, one-off visits with young Angelina turned into overnight visits, and eventually Ricky gained full custody.
“We were a little hesitant,” admits Jackie, “wondering if this was really gonna work.” She turns and smiles at Ricky, “But you put in the work – you made it happen.”
Ricky visits with Lynsey Gagnon (R) and Jackie Rasco (L).
And they still live in the same apartment!
Their family has come a long way in the past six years. “We are doing good,” shares Ricky. “I’m in college now working to get my ATA degree in Information Technology and become a computer technician. Angelina is going to be eight years old and she is starting second grade.”
She loves to draw and sing, and Ricky is gently encouraging her to try out a cheerleading class. He is so proud of her. “These are the moments that I treasure,” he says.
The Interfaith Family Shelter is one of only three shelters in Snohomish County that accepts single dads. “A lot of people don’t see how hard it is to be a single dad, and a full-time student,” says Ricky, “sitting in NA meetings, and juggling parenting classes at the Y…” he pauses and adds, “… and to do it all with a smile on your face.”
Ricky has come a long way. And we could not be happier for him and his family.