KHOU News 11HOUSTON Parents who thought their home was safe are battling with the state over the custody of their kids, and they believe they re being punished because they re poor.
You shouldn t take our kids because we ve fallen on hard times, said Prince Leonard, a married father of six whose family resides in a northeast Houston storage shed.
The Leonards moved in three years ago after the father, an unemployed welder, was hired as a maintenance worker.
The family had already lost an apartment and believed the homeless shelter wasn t safe enough.
This is much more secure, said Charlomane Leonard. Our children can play outside here.
Recently, a passerby spotted the children outside and reported them to Child Protective Services.
A caseworker investigated, and the state took custody of the kids.
According to CPS, the children were removed because the storage shed was a dangerous living environment.
The shed, which lacks running water, is about 12 feet wide and 25 feet long.
It has an air conditioner, a refrigerator and two personal computers. The Leonards said their kids were well cared for and happy there.
Now they re fighting to have their children returned.
We just want them back where they belong, said Mr. Leonard.
they must be legal citizens otherwise this would be a non issue
Absolutely disgusting! Yet, illegal immigrants get flat screen TVs, all you can eat buffets, hair salons and trips to the Virgin Islands.
Unfrigginbelievable!!! Whoever reported CPS, ought to be thrown out of the country.
May God help that family get their kids back.
Those kids can change this, they just dont know that, and are told every day by CPS how to work this current situation for their own betterment, but its false, and lies
the kid that wakes up to this being wrong will strike out independently and find a way out of the systems grip..or forever be ensnared by it
so few kids realize they are their only hope and become trapped in CPS grip
there is no help coming CPS is a lie