The Independence Project will support graduates who need that extra help to get on their feet and second chances when they stumble. It will provide safe and stable housing for graduates, along with coaching, counseling, and support with everything from getting a driver’s license to landing a good job to learning to budget.

We have created supported apartment living where we can help them understand what they need to succeed, like making good choices. We have recently launched a Pilot Program with a handful of graduates to help us identify the most effective ways to help, rather than just giving them a free place to live. We will learn during the Pilot Phase, then use what we learn to create a larger facility designed for this purpose. The ultimate goal is seeing more of our graduates achieve stable, independent, productive lives and making a model that can be replicated.

We’ve long helped young people emerging from unimaginable trauma, abuse, and neglect achieve some normalcy, but we’ll accomplish even more by supporting them after graduation. We anticipate that the Pilot Program will immediately increase the number of graduates who are able to enjoy truly independent, stable, and rewarding lives …achieving a second chance that’s far happier and healthier than their early years.

The goal of The Independence Project is to provide safe and stable housing for 18 and older foster or probation youth with comprehensive support services to help them build independent and successful lives. By addressing the root causes of homelessness among this population, we aim to break the family cycle of foster-care involvement and provide mentoring and inspiration to learn the skills for self-sufficiency.

Housing: The program will provide safe, affordable, and supportive housing options for six former foster or probation youth, including shared living arrangements and individual apartments. Our location provides options for transportation, community clinical services, vocational education, higher education, spiritual development, parental support and employment opportunities.

Support Services: Participants will have access to a range of support services, including case management, life-skills training, mental-health counseling, educational and vocational support, and parenting classes. The priority will be assisting youth in finding these services within the community. Each participant will have 24-hour access to a dedicated life coach and trusted adults to help them develop their personalized plan for success. Once students reach their goals, they will transition from our housing to their own housing. Some will take longer than others, depending on their education, employment, and other goals.

Budget and Money Management Skills: Participants will be required to practice paying bills for services such as cell-phone services. This will create opportunities to learn budgeting.

Peer Support and Engagement: Participants will access peer-support groups and community events to build a sense of belonging and connection among participants. Peer mentors who have successfully transitioned out of foster care will provide guidance and encouragement to their peers. Participants will also live alongside and support one another through their transition.

Community Partnerships: Participants will have access to benefits and supporting services through collaborations with local agencies, churches, schools, employers, and community organizations to provide additional resources and opportunities for participants. These partnerships will help participants access education, job training, employment, healthcare and wellness services.

Continuous Improvement and Sharing: Our program will also include a strong emphasis on data collection and program evaluation. Our intention is to work with a qualified external consultant to design a robust research plan that will help demonstrate our program’s results to inform program correction and long-term impact. We intend to share our findings with other similar organizations to improve service delivery for broader impact, and in turn also learn from other programs.

The task of helping youth heal from trauma-filled backgrounds is vital. We know that the consequence of not offering alternatives to further DCS involvement will mean that more young adults will face homelessness and feed the foster-care system with more children who will repeat the cycle.

We are determined to build a program that will assist youth as they transition, while also giving them a sense of independence, and the best chance to succeed.