These kids are savvy; you won't find them on the street. They're 'couch surfers', homeless youth whipped into a cycle of poverty once they graduate from high school or drop out and are left their own devices.
Michelle Doheny, Director of Development for the Youth Continuum, explains "They feel
hopeless and overwhelmed . . . much like any perfectly normal suburban upbringing - the only
difference is a lack of family support or community to catch them when they fall" And some fall
hard. "These kids don't have much family to speak of - and those that do are paralyzed with their own problems. It's a scary to be told, 'you're an adult now - figure it out', with no support, no idea as to what to do next".
Enter the Youth Continuum, a New Haven based organization that offers help to homeless kids
ages 14-23. The children arrive via DCF as foster kids to live in one of the 6 group homes or
come in off the street through outreach efforts. These street kids and couch surfers are offered as much or as little help as they need: a bag of food and hygiene products, clothing for an interview, use of their computers or housing. They are also given something they may have never had - a strong dose of tough love. Along with this outreach comes the rules they need to play by: saving money, working or going to school, respecting the shelters curfew.
At a recent Awards Breakfast honoring several youth advocates including State Representative
Toni E. Walker, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, TriCon Construction, The
Girls’ Friendly Society and Melville Charitable Trust, several attendees stood out.
Alongside the noted honorees, two youth guest speakers, former clients, shone brightly with their stories of achievements; bravely sharing with the crowd their sagas of excelling and overcoming personal obstacles with the help of the Youth Continuum.
Shayna W., a young single mother, recounted stumbling upon Youth Continuum after finding
herself homeless and without a car. Her parents, unable to care for her, left Shayna's upbringing to her grandmother and while still a junior in high school, Shayna discovered she was pregnant at 17.
Shayna said, "I continued high school to obtain my diploma and went on to get a full-time
job which allowed me to get an apartment and a car but couple months later the transmission on
the car went".
Then disaster struck. Shayna continued, " I was cleaning my kitchen with my 4 year old daughter upstairs and kept hearing this annoying beeping sound. When I went to check on the noise I saw a cloud of smoke. I grabbed my daughter and as soon as we got off the property the entire house went up in flames. The Red Cross was there to help but only for two weeks. I began staying with friends and relatives. Months and months went by, then by the grace of God I came across the Youth Continuum".
From the 1st day of her intake the coordinators made Shayna feel comfortable and relieved
knowing that someone was there to extend a helping hand. Through the independent living program at Youth Continuum, Shayna is back in her own apartment, working full-time, saving for a car again and will be attending Gateway community college next semester. Despite all the outside forces that should have kept her down, she is still holding on and hanging in there, providing for her family.
Tiann M. introduced herself to the gathered audience with a impressive accomplishment; she had recently graduated nursing school....but before Youth Continuum, Tiann was contemplating dropping out of school, sitting alone in her one bedroom apartment with one of several eviction notices in hand wondering "How am I going to do this?"
In her last year of high school her mother and step-father's troubled relationship began to fall
apart. By the time Tiann graduated high school her family had moved in with her grandmother,
aunt and two foster children. The strain proved to be too much and her parents separated, moving out of state. Tiann opted to stay in CT and finish her nursing degree.
Tiann explained "I didn't have a stable home and was back and forth between step-family and friends. At times I had as many as three jobs while attending school full-time". When she finally had a good paying job Tiann decided to save some money and rent her own apartment for the last few semesters of school. Her timing couldn't have been worse. Her employer cut her hours and Tiann started living off her credit card to pay bills and buy food...then came the eviction notices.
The financial worries began to erode Tiann grades; there was no way she could attend classes
and work full-time. It was just too much.
That's when someone told Tiann about applying to the Youth Continuum. After waiting for
several months she noted "I had given up on getting into the program and was ready to look for a full-time job and drop out of (nursing) school". That's when she received a call from Victoria, her case coordinator at Youth Continuum. "Miss Vicky" met with Tiann weekly to make sure her basic needs were being met, to inform Tiann of events, scholarships and any other benefits that the agency had to offer. Additionally, the organization arranged funding to help pay for textbooks, uniforms, shoes, a graduation gown - even for Tiann's testing fees and nursing license. "Miss Vicky" even took time off from a busy weekend to help when Tiann found herself locked out of her apartment.
Tiann added "Youth Continuum has given me more than a stable living environment. They look at me as a person and not just as a client...they have given me food and a comfortable environment to allow me to complete my dreams; to move on into the next chapter in my life. Without Youth Continuum my dreams would have been lost - my mother's dreams for me".
Michelle Doheny, Director of Development for the Youth Continuum, explains "They feel
hopeless and overwhelmed . . . much like any perfectly normal suburban upbringing - the only
difference is a lack of family support or community to catch them when they fall" And some fall
hard. "These kids don't have much family to speak of - and those that do are paralyzed with their own problems. It's a scary to be told, 'you're an adult now - figure it out', with no support, no idea as to what to do next".
Enter the Youth Continuum, a New Haven based organization that offers help to homeless kids
ages 14-23. The children arrive via DCF as foster kids to live in one of the 6 group homes or
come in off the street through outreach efforts. These street kids and couch surfers are offered as much or as little help as they need: a bag of food and hygiene products, clothing for an interview, use of their computers or housing. They are also given something they may have never had - a strong dose of tough love. Along with this outreach comes the rules they need to play by: saving money, working or going to school, respecting the shelters curfew.
At a recent Awards Breakfast honoring several youth advocates including State Representative
Toni E. Walker, The Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, TriCon Construction, The
Girls’ Friendly Society and Melville Charitable Trust, several attendees stood out.
Alongside the noted honorees, two youth guest speakers, former clients, shone brightly with their stories of achievements; bravely sharing with the crowd their sagas of excelling and overcoming personal obstacles with the help of the Youth Continuum.
Shayna W., a young single mother, recounted stumbling upon Youth Continuum after finding
herself homeless and without a car. Her parents, unable to care for her, left Shayna's upbringing to her grandmother and while still a junior in high school, Shayna discovered she was pregnant at 17.
Shayna said, "I continued high school to obtain my diploma and went on to get a full-time
job which allowed me to get an apartment and a car but couple months later the transmission on
the car went".
Then disaster struck. Shayna continued, " I was cleaning my kitchen with my 4 year old daughter upstairs and kept hearing this annoying beeping sound. When I went to check on the noise I saw a cloud of smoke. I grabbed my daughter and as soon as we got off the property the entire house went up in flames. The Red Cross was there to help but only for two weeks. I began staying with friends and relatives. Months and months went by, then by the grace of God I came across the Youth Continuum".
From the 1st day of her intake the coordinators made Shayna feel comfortable and relieved
knowing that someone was there to extend a helping hand. Through the independent living program at Youth Continuum, Shayna is back in her own apartment, working full-time, saving for a car again and will be attending Gateway community college next semester. Despite all the outside forces that should have kept her down, she is still holding on and hanging in there, providing for her family.
Tiann M. introduced herself to the gathered audience with a impressive accomplishment; she had recently graduated nursing school....but before Youth Continuum, Tiann was contemplating dropping out of school, sitting alone in her one bedroom apartment with one of several eviction notices in hand wondering "How am I going to do this?"
In her last year of high school her mother and step-father's troubled relationship began to fall
apart. By the time Tiann graduated high school her family had moved in with her grandmother,
aunt and two foster children. The strain proved to be too much and her parents separated, moving out of state. Tiann opted to stay in CT and finish her nursing degree.
Tiann explained "I didn't have a stable home and was back and forth between step-family and friends. At times I had as many as three jobs while attending school full-time". When she finally had a good paying job Tiann decided to save some money and rent her own apartment for the last few semesters of school. Her timing couldn't have been worse. Her employer cut her hours and Tiann started living off her credit card to pay bills and buy food...then came the eviction notices.
The financial worries began to erode Tiann grades; there was no way she could attend classes
and work full-time. It was just too much.
That's when someone told Tiann about applying to the Youth Continuum. After waiting for
several months she noted "I had given up on getting into the program and was ready to look for a full-time job and drop out of (nursing) school". That's when she received a call from Victoria, her case coordinator at Youth Continuum. "Miss Vicky" met with Tiann weekly to make sure her basic needs were being met, to inform Tiann of events, scholarships and any other benefits that the agency had to offer. Additionally, the organization arranged funding to help pay for textbooks, uniforms, shoes, a graduation gown - even for Tiann's testing fees and nursing license. "Miss Vicky" even took time off from a busy weekend to help when Tiann found herself locked out of her apartment.Tiann added "Youth Continuum has given me more than a stable living environment. They look at me as a person and not just as a client...they have given me food and a comfortable environment to allow me to complete my dreams; to move on into the next chapter in my life. Without Youth Continuum my dreams would have been lost - my mother's dreams for me".
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