Stable Housing Makes the Difference
Our Teen Center, Skatepark and Merrymeeting Support Collaborative programs help us build relationships with our young people, many who have high rates of adverse childhood experiences, so that when they need help, we are the first people they turn to.
Since December, we’ve had a 24-year-old resident who had been a student served by Merrymeeting Support Collaborative for Youth Experiencing Homelessness in high school at 15-years-old. Our Youth Outreach Coordinator, Donna Verhoeven, had been working with him during years of truancy from school when paid work was his primary concern since he served as the paycheck earner in his family, and he worried about providing for his siblings. After spending a winter and summer living in a tent at a campground, and a few years couch surfing with friends, this young adult was offered the opportunity to move into Step Up Housing and have a more stable and “adult life-style.” In addition to Step Up, he utilizes the free laundry services, the Group support sessions, and the Workforce Development opportunities available to him through MYC.
When asked about the impact of Step Up on his life, he says he “started from rock bottom and hit rock bottom a few times along the way, but now I’m gaining confidence in my future.” He shared that this new “adult life-style” means that he communicates and follows-through better than he did before. His substance use has decreased and he’s no longer “just a nuisance” as he used to see himself. He now has a primary care physician, and he went to his first dentist appointment in over a decade. More importantly he has been learning to live within the world of expectations and rules that govern the world of work.
The dreams he has of establishing his own paint contracting business feel closer to reality than ever before thanks in part to the structure he now has in his life as well as the coaching and support from MYC staff that provide wrap-around mentorship for the many adult areas of his life. He is nervous about what comes after Step Up, because housing, food, and running a business are expensive, but he recognizes that making a future for himself that is far different from his life up to this point IS possible. He says he knows that the MYC community will always be here to support him.
MYC continues to develop the ability to replicate the support systems found at colleges and universities for young adults who are living in Sagadahoc County, to better prepare youth for the workforce and provide them with a strong safety net when support is needed. Our Step Up Transitional Living Program is one critical component of this work.