By Ken Sury
Life has been a chorus of hard knocks for Jemina Rodriguez-Olivares. She grew up in the foster care system, experienced domestic violence and then homelessness for herself and three young sons.
One thing she has never lacked, however, was the motivation to improve her situation. Methodist Children’s Home Family Outreach in San Antonio has been helping her along that path.
Tabitha Pitts, her MCH case manager, says Jemina’s attitude and steadfast desire to better her life is an inspiration.
“She’s got that ‘can do’ attitude,” Tabitha said. “It’s her drive and her ability to pick up the pieces after there’s a downfall. She always says, ‘I have a Plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan Z’. Her perseverance is a highlight.”
The MCH Family Outreach San Antonio team began working with Jemina in December 2025. Jemina and her boys are living in Fairweather Family Lodge, a long-term homeless shelter for women who have suffered domestic abuse.
MCH case worker Lisette Rodriguez Rivera was presenting parenting classes last fall at Fairweather when Jemina reached out.
She asked for ways to help her eldest son, Azarahi, who has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and dyslexia.
Jemina needed assistance working with his school to get an IEP plan. The Individualized Education Program is a legal written plan that outlines special education instruction, supports and services for an eligible public school student with a disability. It is designed to ensure a child receives the tailored help they need to learn.
That connected Jemina with Tabitha, her now case manager. Tabitha has experience advocating for students needing IEPs and 504s, school plans that provide accommodation and remove barriers for students with disabilities.
“That was advocacy that I could help her with, so that’s how we got started,” Tabitha said. “Jemina said she needed somebody that would help her through the IEP process, since she was brand new to it. The school was not making it easy to figure out.”
Tabitha said she sees that a lot with her clients. When Azarahi exhibited behavioral issues, Tabitha said his teacher and the school decided he was “problematic,” instead of working with Jemina on ways to help him.
“He is going to the third grade,” Jemina said this summer. “But right now, we have a whole semester gap where he didn’t get the help he needed. He is still at a first-grade level. So that’s really a big thing that we had to address now because there’s STAAR testing in third grade.”
Tabitha advocated on Azarahi’s behalf. “We sat in on meetings, and that’s how we all got started. But along the way, Jemina’s had different goals, of course, and we work towards those as well.”
Those other goals include securing her own place to live and obtaining reliable transportation. Jemina was recently hired at a thrift store and is saving money for a down payment. A relative loaned her a car to use but has a deadline when it needs to be returned.
Crystal Motok-Salinas, director of Family Outreach in San Antonio, told Tabitha about the On-Ramp Program, a program being piloted in San Antonio to help low-income families obtain vehicles.
“There’s a lot of prerequisites that the client has to meet in order to be approved for the program, in order to even really be nominated,” Tabitha explained. “She met all of those prerequisites, so I was able to nominate her, and we’re still kind of in the middle of that process. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
Jemina and her boys, Azarahi, 10; Arius, 5; and Elian, 3; can stay at Fairweather as long as they need.
“There’s not a deadline on her housing situation,” Tabitha said. “It’s a permanent support. They do not charge when you are without a job, but when a client gains employment and sustains that job for a period of time, they’ll start charging a small amount of rent so the client can begin working on budgeting, for when they do finally transition out on their own.”
Jimena moved to San Antonio when she was very young.
“I was brought here (San Antonio) when I was 4, and I was in kindergarten when I was 5, and there was an issue with my mom and stepdad, and the school got involved.”
That led to a visit by Child Protective Services, which ultimately removed her.
“Mom was fighting for a bit, but then she just up and left,” Jemina said. “I stayed in the (foster care) system and I grew up in the system.”
But she’s never let that define who she is.
“I didn’t grow up with a mom and dad, but I didn’t let that affect me to say, ‘well, I can’t be a parent’,” Jemina said. “My three boys need to be able to succeed. I’ve been through so much and they are my motivation.”
MCH Family Outreach San Antonio director Crystal said Tabitha has established a great relationship with Jemina and her boys.
“Tabitha is wonderful for just being the person that Jemina can trust,” Crystal said. “She has somebody to talk to. Things go wrong, but Tabitha’s going to listen and be honest with her; to be realistic, but helpful.”
Tabitha is optimistic things will keep improving for Jemina and her family, thanks to the support from MCH and Jemina’s own drive.
Jemina expressed her thanks for Tabitha and MCH and then summed up her focus: “Don’t let the past ruin you. Let it be the motivation for success.”
Leave a Reply