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Jeremiah’s Promise addresses the urgent need of abandoned and homeless youth who age out of foster care. We specifically target aspiring young women who desire a college education or credible certificate program but who, otherwise, could fail at achieving higher education without intensive emotional, housing, mentoring and academic undergirding. They have the ability. They lack an adequate support team. We provide them with one.
At the young age of emancipation, youth who have suffered unspeakable abuse and loss are forced into an expensive, intimidating, demanding world while lacking the skill set, maturity, or economic sufficiency to find an apartment and pay rent or to navigate the laborious and confusing process of college financial aid and registration.
As a result of years of disappointment, negative labeling and childhood trauma, former foster youth risk frightening consequences as they face even bleaker futures without adequate support systems in place. This is often the reason for such high rates of homelessness (now up to 68 percent in this area) and lack of education (40 to 50% fail to complete high school). Sadly, female foster youth are three times more likely to have a child by the age of 19 than non-foster youth. This population has been deprived of the loving attention of nurturing adults during their young lives. These young people are often raised in group homes with many other youth facing the same painful struggles. At the time of emancipation, these youth face a future of "couch-surfing", staying with anyone who will allow them or even spending nights on the street. This makes them vulnerable to further instability and possible harm. The constant change in environment and instability compounds the desperate psychological stress of the youth, in addition to the urgency to meet their basic daily needs.
One of our former youth, Michelle, told of being asked to leave her foster home on her 18th birthday. She was to have begun classes at DeAnza the next day. Instead, she had to search for a safe place to sleep.
Jeremiah’s Promise comes along-side these youth to serve as a catalyst for lifelong change through the implementation of a demanding program that includes weekly life skills workshops, mentoring, academic and career counseling, goal setting, accountability measures, therapeutic counseling and community service requirements.
As a result of the program, we aim to curtail the exorbitant cost to taxpayers who foot the bill for foster youth who would likely have turned to welfare for lengthy support or who may have had children who were later placed in foster care because of neglect or abuse. Most importantly, we will have worked diligently to have instilled positive employability, life skills and youth empowerment so the young ladies at Jeremiah’s Promise will move on to live successful, independent lives as taxpayers and involved citizens.
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