Entering adulthood can be a challenge for any teen, but for those in foster care, they may not have the means or guidance to start applying for college or renting their own apartment.
That’s where Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth comes in. As part of its Older Adult Service program, foster youth ages 16-21 are assigned life coaches, and they can help youth develop skills such as budgeting, searching for jobs, finding a place to live, and college preparation.
Kim Genis, a life coach at SAFY’s office in Merrillville, said life coaches meet with youth once a week or sometimes once every two weeks
“We work with them a lot on budgeting and banking,” Genis said of the independent living program. “It is hard going to school and working at the same time.”
For younger youth, life coaches work to help them maintain good grades and connect them with tutoring services if needed.
More Top Picks Best Garden Hose Nozzles
“Sometimes just trying to meet up with teens is a challenge,” she said. “As they don’t really want to apply for college or jobs, they want to hang out with friends. So we help keep them focused.”
An upcoming 5K Run/Walk on May 14 in Hammond will help raise funds to purchase housing and school supplies for college-bound and graduating youth. The event will start at 9:30 a.m. at Wolf Lake Pavilion in Hammond. Registration is $20 for adults and $10 for kids between 5 and 12. Kids 4 and younger are free. Registration can be done online at safy.org.
Life coach Kate Shapiro said she’s worked with about 50 youth in more than three years at SAFY. Life coaches at SAFY typically have a bachelor’s degree in social work.
“We usually have a caseload between 14-17 kids,” she said. “We have kids who are not used to anyone in their lives heading to college or having a steady job, so they’ve not had a chance to learn about these life skills.
“We’re putting our experience in there, and guiding them through that.”
Shapiro said an important part of the program is helping teens build a support system as they go through these times, so when they age out, they’ll have people to depend on.
“Everything has to be done by them since they have no one,” Shapiro said.
One of Sharpiro’s charges wasn’t ready to attend college yet, but she obtained job skills at Work One and worked hard to obtain a job.
“She didn’t have a car,” Shapiro said. “But they loved her so much that they made her a full-time employee. She walked to work in all kinds of weather. I’m so proud to be able to say we could help her.”