A place to cook. A place to study. A place to sleep.
When a former foster youth experiencing homelessness is referred to us, we immediately start combing through rent advertisements and contacting landlords. It’s not a simple process. Rent is notoriously high in Rhode Island and housing supply is low (that’s a topic for another time).
When we DO find a safe apartment for our young people, we start going through our food pantry and perusing our community Storefront to pull together all the necessities of moving into a first apartment.
Remember, these foster youth have nothing. No trash can or shower curtain. No broom. No mismatched furniture handed down from family members. No towels or bed linens. No mattress. No food or basic condiments.
We recently told the story of Ty who was referred to Foster Forward after living in and out of homeless shelters and an emergency hotel shelter. When we found her current apartment, we were able to supply all of her basic apartment needs thanks to the generosity of our community and regular donations to our Storefront location.
Scott, our Housing Services Manager, shared that he went to drop off a mop and cleaning supplies for Ty. When he arrived at the apartment, he saw that she had friends over and that they were cooking together. Such a simple act, yet Ty had lived in her car, a shelter, and ate microwave meals for months. This is the reality that we want to create for our young people:
A place to cook.
A place to study.
A place to gather.
A place to sleep.
A place to learn.
A place to safely grow into adulthood.
We all need safe homes to thrive. Without a home, it becomes challenging to complete a GED, take college classes, and keep a stable job. Without a home, it becomes hard to get adequate rest and cook healthy meals. Without a stable home, it becomes hard to build community and receive support from mentors.
We’ve created a brand-new program that we want you to be a part of - our Second Home Loyalty Program. Through a monthly donation, you’ll be supporting foster youth and families every month to get the essentials they need.
Many youth share that our office, our people, our volunteers and community are like a “second home” to them after being shuffled from house to house and/or experiencing homelessness.
We’ll share more soon about our new program and its benefits. If you’re ready to join now, please go here to read more.
Thank you,
Lisa Guillette
Executive Director
