In re Ender H. CA2/3

BACKGROUND

I. Report of neglect and investigation

The family consists of father, 10-year-old Ender, and eight- year-old Jacob. In mid-July 2020, the family came to the attention of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) when it received a report they were living in an abandoned home without utilities. The property’s manager told social workers that the house was going to be demolished so he let the family live there. Paternal aunt, her children, and paternal aunt’s boyfriend also lived in the house; however, the house was divided into units, and she lived in one separate from father. Father and his sons had been living in the house for six to seven months. However, the home had no

2 electricity, gas, or running water. The property manager said that the children were nonetheless well cared for, and he had no concerns about domestic or substance abuse. Father explained that he had been homeless for two to three years. He worked as a gardener. The family used to live with the children’s mother, but she was deported after attacking father with a knife in 2018. Since then, father had been his sons’ sole caregiver. When father’s motel vouchers ran…