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This is Alex.
New Year’s Eve was one of the worst nights in Alex’s recent memory. He was at an emergency shelter, having been kicked out of yet another foster home. As the clock counted down to midnight, Alex stared into the darkness looming over his head. This was the year when he would turn 18; he was ‘aging out’ of the system.
Alex had been removed from his home as a child after reports of sexual and physical abuse. He bounced from placement to placement, never having the stability of a real home. The experience left him emotionally scarred. Alex had arrived at the critical transition between adolescence and adulthood with no real friends, family, or even allies.
With a single trash bag of clothes his sole possession, he was on the verge of homelessness when his caseworker referred him to the transitional housing program at Bay Area Youth Centers, an East Bay division of Sunny Hills Services.
With the help of BAYC therapists and youth development specialists, Alex began to untangle the trauma he had experienced in his young life. He landed a job with flexible hours that allowed him to sign up for classes at his local community college. As summertime and his 18th birthday approached, his BAYC social worker helped him find an apartment where he could live independently with the support of BAYC and his community. A rental subsidy helped Alex get on his feet until he was finally able to do it on his own.
The holidays are approaching, and Alex is looking forward to a new year. He and his roommate have put up some decorations, and are planning to have a couple friends over to the apartment for dinner – an apartment that, to Alex’s amazement, really feels like home. |
