GIVERS: Fostering Hope

FOSTERING HOPE

Hope Center at Pullen provides support to young people

by CATHERINE CURRIN

Tucked in the basement of Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, the Hope Center is creating a safe space. Founded in 2008 to help combat homelessness in the area, the nonprofit has shifted in the past five years to target children aging out of the foster care system. These young people, the majority Wake County residents, range in age from 13 to 21 and live within a mix of foster homes and group homes. The Hope Center focuses on life skills to prepare them for the transition. “Statistically, six in 10 children in foster care will experience homelessness,” says Hope Center program coordinator Meredith Yuckman. “Our goal is to gauge what they need. We capitalize on programs that build relationships.” While the average age of children in foster care is six years old, Yuckman says that age 13 is the critical number. “When a child in foster care reaches the age of 13, their chance of positive outcomes significantly decreases.” The Hope Center wants to beat those odds for as many children as possible. The center facilitates a life skills workshop called LINKS once a week for these teens. LINKS is a statewide initiative, with an overarching objective to prepare foster teens for living on their own. During these meetings, speakers such as police officers and social workers will lecture on different topics like court awareness, STD education, and mental health. “The program is intensive,” says Yuckman. “When people think of foster care, they don't think about what happens when the children age out.” Each youth or ‘client,’ as they’re referred, also receives an academic mentor. These volunteers work with the youth on everything from independent living skills to homework to college visits. “These volunteers walk side by side with

these young people. We want to teach them how to solve their own problems,” Yuckman says. There's also an internship program for ages 16 and up, where clients are able to receive hands-on, paid work experience, subsidized by the Hope Center. “We want to minimize all barriers so they can feel supported and gain experience. It's essentially a dress rehearsal for a job,” says Yuckman. With approximately 750 children in the foster care system in Wake County alone, the Hope Center can’t tackle this problem on their own. The center collaborates with other local nonprofits like The Green Chair Project, as well as the City of Raleigh and Wake County Housing. The housing division of Wake County Human Services approved 15 housing vouchers for Hope Center clients. Director of Transition Programs Kelliann Miranda works with clients during the approval process for these 24-month vouchers. She says the application process can be rigorous, but

the reward is enormous. These vouchers, in partnership with Wake County, operate under the ‘Housing First’ model. Miranda says that a lack of housing is one of the main factors that hinder a person’s success. “It eliminates what tends to thwart their success,” says Miranda. “Their minds open up, and they finally feel safe.” Miranda also works with young parents who were in the foster care system through the Fostering Family Success program. This program is funded by United Way of the Greater Triangle, and serves parents that are between ages 18 and 27. Miranda says this program aspires to break the cycle of the foster system by providing resources and support to young parents. “We want to provide as much wraparound as possible. Each client is different.” Volunteers are incredibly valuable in this stage, too. All programs at the Hope Center rely on volunteers, as well as partnerships with organizations like SAFEChild, Families Together, and NextGen. Both Miranda and Yuckman emphasize the importance of community collaboration to get the job done in their respective programs. The broader the reach, the more children and young adults who are set up for success. And the success at the Hope Center is tangible. The center currently serves 105 clients, and the statistics on the 2017 impact report are staggering: six percent of Hope Center clients were incarcerated in 2017, compared to the national average of 24 percent; 28 percent of Hope Center clients are pursuing post-secondary education versus the national average of 20 percent. And 100 percent of Hope Center young people maintained stable housing for three months or more. It’s evident that the team’s approach of building relationships and trust with the youth is working. For many of these young adults, the Hope Center is the first example of a trustworthy adult in their life, a sense of support and an advocate. “A lot of clients come to us with extensive trauma,” says Miranda. “They are used to being faced with a wall of negativity and no’s. Our agency is a soft whisper of yes in a sea of no’s.”