INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Children’s Home Society of Florida, Treasure Coast Division, is pleased to announce it has received a $50k grant from the Indian River Community Foundation to establish “Homeless in High School,” a new initiative to provide safety-net services for high school students not already involved in the foster care system.
In a recent report, Indian River County Public Schools identified 33 students in 2011-2012 school year that have been identified as homeless.
The funding from Indian River Community Foundation will provide for at least 13-14 youth with the much needed housing, financial support, and other services they need so they can continue on a path that breaks the cycle of homelessness.
The average cost per client is $3,800 annually, presenting Children’s Home Society of Florida with a challenge to raise an additional $100k to fully meet the community’s need.
The Homeless in High School initiative, a component of the Transitional Living Program, is a multi-faceted program that provides a safety net of services for youth, ages 16-18, that are still enrolled in high school and homeless.
The community education component of the program is designed to raise awareness about services among youth, high school teachers and counselors, donors, and throughout the community to encourage referrals into the program, identify signs of homeless youth, and to raise additional funding to support the program.
Safety net services include emergency shelter, long-term affordable housing, start-up rent and supplies, furniture, transportation, job placement, job coaching and tracking, mental health assessments and counseling, crisis evaluation and navigation to services in the community, case management and coordination that includes the development of a Life Plan, social skills training, exit and discharge planning, assistance in obtaining permanent housing; and a life management curriculum that includes life skills classes, educational advocacy and planning, high school, GED, college, Job Corps placements, and parenting classes.
Beyond meeting the physical needs of youth, the Homeless in High School initiative strives to enhance each youth’s opportunities for self-exploration and expression, community integration, positive decision making, and development of ongoing relationships with caring adults.
Each youth is assigned a case manager who provides ongoing support and assistance throughout the youth’s stay in the program including encouragement, education, enlightenment, and empowerment.
Caseworkers provide crisis evaluation and navigation to services available within the organization and in the community so that homeless youth become stabilized and move on to complete high school, secure employment, affordable housing and, most importantly, to pursue educational opportunities that will provide them with a path to independence.
“With nowhere else to turn, area high school counselors began contacting our Street Outreach Specialist regarding homeless students last fall since they recognize that our organization is uniquely suited to provide services for this growing population,” explained Jan Swink, Executive Director of Children’s Home Society, Treasure Coast Division.
“After careful assessment of this need in the community, we extended our Transitional Living Program to assist high school students. Since the existing program is solely supported through donations, the support from Indian River Community Foundation was crucial for Children’s Home Society to continue to provide these services.” Swink added.
The $50k grant was awarded by the Indian River Community Foundation through a competitive grants program designed to address time-sensitive community needs intensified by the recent economic recession.
Kerry Bartlett, Executive Director of the Indian River Community Foundation, said her Board of Directors appreciated the opportunity to help Children’s Home Society launch this new initiative.
“Children’s Home Society has identified a disturbing, but very real trend in our community,” Bartlett said, “but if a homeless student is still attending school every day, that is a tremendous sign that they hope to make a better life. This program can help make the difference for a person becoming chronically homeless or an independent, productive member of society.”
The Children’s Home Society of Florida is the sixth largest of more than 1,200 private organizations currently accredited and/or in process of accreditation in North America (U.S. and Canada). The Treasure Coast Division, which is one of 15 divisions in Florida, served 11,607 children and their families in fiscal year 2011 in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties.
CHS programs are developed to break the cycle of child abuse and provide children and young adults with the opportunity to be safe, healthy, and prepared for life.
For more information or to learn how you can help support the Homeless in High School initiative, contact Michelle King, Director of Development, at (772) 344-4020 ext. 231 or visit the website at www.CHSFL.org.
The Indian River Community Foundation is a neutral nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Indian River County through donor-driven philanthropy.
Founded in 2005, the organization began operating formally in 2008 and, in partnership with its donors, has since facilitated over $6 million in charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations, with more than 93 percent of those funds staying within Indian River County.
To learn more, visit www.IRCommunityFoundation.com.