Helping Future Generations Thrive
Youth in foster care turning 18 years old or graduating from high school do not have a wide variety of options. Often, they haven’t received formal help finding a job, continuing their education, obtaining a place to live, and a host of other responsibilities that come with becoming an adult. Teens in traditional homes have a support network of family and friends to be their “safety net” during this transitional time in their lives, but many in foster care do not have this privilege. These teens often find themselves homeless, struggling to find employment that will pay their bills, and many times repeating the poverty cycle that led to them being in foster care.
In 2019, the Free Will Baptist Children’s Home sought to change the narrative for our young people. To help them move into adulthood by providing them with a place to live and a dedicated coach/mentor to walk alongside them during this phase of their life. The Children’s Home desired to help provide our older youth with the tools to empower and equip them to identify their goals and begin working to achieve them. Through this, Thrive Independent Living Program was created. We believed that our young adults had the innate confidence to transition into adulthood successfully – they just needed a support network to guide them. This support system begins with Chris Coleman, Director of Thrive Independent Living. She is our young adults’ first point of contact when entering this program. Chris helps them get settled into their apartment, takes them grocery shopping, and anything else they need to start this phase of their life.
One of the goals of Thrive is to empower and equip our young adults, to help them believe in themselves. Another is to empower our young adults to create a life filled with purpose and meaning. We understand that our youth know themselves best and that each person has their own unique strengths and goals. Success is something that is defined individually and no two people’s paths are the same, so the approach for each youth must be as individual as they are.
Thrive focuses on the whole person and uses their strengths to help them achieve success. We build relationships with the youth, creating a family within the program. Members of Thrive frequently get together for activities that help build friendships and family—whether it’s bowling, the movies, a day at a water park, or simply gathering for a meal. Life is easier with family and friends, and we’re helping them create their own support system.
Their coach/mentor, Chris, meets with each youth weekly to discuss various topics associated with independent adulthood. They talk about time management skills, maintaining a healthy home (cooking, cleaning, laundry, personal hygiene), as well as how and when to make medical appointments. In addition, Chris ensures that our young adults learn financial literacy, car ownership, career-seeking skills, and help them navigate higher education. It’s through these skills and the connections made while a part of the Thrive program that our young adults learn to not merely survive, but to thrive.
After two years of developing the materials and goals for Thrive Independent Living Program and remodeling an apartment on campus, we were finally ready to accept the first two young adults into this program in January of 2021. An additional remodel of two more campus apartments quickly followed, bringing the total number of youth we could serve to six. Thrive, one of the few programs of this nature in North Carolina, focuses on bridging the gap between foster care and independent adulthood.
In the years that have followed, our program has accepted 15 young adults from across the state. These young people are looking for guidance and support as they learn to navigate a new phase of their life. The Children’s Home is honored to play a role in their life and to watch them bloom in confidence.
The need for this type of program continues to grow as more children enter foster care in our state. We have seen a significant rise in referrals for the Thrive program just this year, with 29 referrals for youth wanting to become a part of this program in the last 14 months. As youth in foster care move towards high school graduation, county social workers are reaching out in advance to help the youth they serve secure a place to continue to grow after graduation. We are proactively seeking to help as many young people as possible through this type of program.
The Children’s Home is making strides to meet the need for a home and support system for young people aging out of foster care. We are helping to provide them with a safe, caring network of people to help them make the transition to independent adulthood. We are in the beginning stages of building three duplex-style apartments to serve more youth. With these apartments, we will more than double the number of young people we can help in the Thrive program. Land has been cleared for each of the duplexes and construction of the first one is set to begin soon. Each apartment will contain two bedrooms, family living and kitchen space, and laundry to provide a home for two youth in each apartment. In these apartments, our young people will grow into adulthood. They will learn how to maintain a home, how to live in harmony with others, and many other skills necessary for success. Will you be a part of helping these young people successfully navigate independent adulthood? Will you help them develop a strong support system by providing them with a place to live and grow?
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