April Update: Youth Housing Program
By Ben Sprunger, Manager of Individual Giving
Seeking out and establishing a “chosen family” is often a necessary step for anyone — young or old — struggling with their gender identity and/or sexuality. As queer people, having the unconditional support and encouragement of likeminded peers helps us to discover who we are, to speak our truths, and live our lives authentically. Imagine how much more fraught and difficult this process would be if you were a young person, who has experienced either domestic or sexual violence and housing insecurity. How might you go about knitting together this kind of safety net of support without trust? Without a home?
In July 2020, Center on Halsted moved our LGBTQ Youth Housing Program for youth ages 18–24, into two multi-bedroom apartments. “This was such a big opportunity for our youth,” said Kim Fountain, Center on Halsted’s Chief Administrative Officer. “These apartments are in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on Chicago’s south side, and part of Rebuild Foundation’s efforts to engage in community development in a way that centers the residents.”
Current YHP participants, all of whom identify as transgender or gender non-conforming, have all recently struggled with homelessness, and are all survivors of some form of violence. “Participants come to the program because they’ve all sought out the services of Center on Halsted’s Anti-Violence Program or Youth Services,” YHP’s Intensive Case Manager, Tia Glass-Kuntu, told me. “There are five residents currently, which we limited due to Covid restrictions, but three additional youth are in the pipeline for interviews in the coming weeks,” she added.
In addition to learning life skills such as weekly house chores, participants receive “wrap-around” services from Center on Halsted including: counseling, wellness screenings, linkage to healthcare, and job readiness training. Tia and her colleague Luis Martinez also assist residents with enrollment for programs like SNAP benefits, and in securing State IDs — a process that can be difficult for someone who does not have access to their birth certificate, whose assigned gender might be different than their gender identity, has not had a consistent address, or who simply does not have the funds to pay to complete the process. “One of our residents had been offered a job at Whole Foods but needed a state-issued ID before she could begin work. Beyond Covid shutting down many DMVs, the process was very daunting and discouraging for her, and she lost the Whole Foods opportunity in the meantime,” Tia told me. “Happily, Luis helped her through the process and she just had an interview at Target.”
Residents are given safety, stability, and a place to call home — things many of us take for granted — but they have also been the recipients of community through acts of kindness and support. In December, Center on Halsted Board members stopped by with holiday cookie-making supplies and Secret Santa gifts. Senior Services dropped off holiday meals.
And in January, residents were surprised with a TV-worthy home makeover (compliments of Tom Stringer Design Partners) that included new desks, chairs, storage solutions in the kitchen and bathroom, a couch, and a coffee table. “[They were] convinced a television camera was going to pop out and record their reactions.” Tia said.
Moreover, the youth are given an opportunity to build a chosen family with their housemates and Center on Halsted staff. “We wanted to run the program like a family. Our residents gather every Friday night for a home-cooked ‘family dinner’ which then turns into game or movie nights. They’re really excited to play a card game called ‘The Gay Agenda’,” Tia told me.
If you’d like to make a donation to the Youth Program click here.
If you’d like to donate to the Amazon Youth Registry click here.
