Who We Work With
The majority of the students in our housing are between the ages of 18 and 26. We do work with older students at times, but they tend to be in their own housing. The best way to answer the question of whom we work with is to give a few real-life examples below. While names have been changed for confidentiality, and none of the stories exactly replicate any of our current or past students, these are some examples of the young adults whom we work with.
_________________________
Amy did well in high school and was off to a good start in college, and then covid hit. Her social life went downhill, she had a tough time staying organized, and isolation set in, really taking a toll on both her mental health and her grades. If she was being really honest with herself, she was also relying too much on smoking weed and was having a hard time coping with college expectations. She knew that some support was needed before heading back to college or she would end up doing the same thing. She utilized her time with us to take an online college class, get a part-time job, and get her mental health back and life balance back to a place where she felt confident going back to college.
_________________________
Steven had struggled with anxiety since early in high school but did a good job of hiding it. He wasn't sure about college, so decided to take a year off but wasn't sure what to do with that time. He wanted a "gap" year but didn't want to go to Europe, live on a farm, or go backpacking. He knew he wanted to live in a city, experience some new things, maybe have a job, and figure out what was next in his life. Taking full advantage of all the areas of coaching, he was able to figure out where he wanted to attend college, and we supported him through the college application process.
_________________________
​
Tara was struggling with depression stemming in part from deciding to transition from she to they. Their parents were really struggling with this decision, and in response, Tara was behaving in some unhealthy ways. Tara and their parents decided that spending some time in an outdoor therapeutic program would be helpful, and after spending ninety days there realized that another transition was needed before they would feel ready to be fully independent. Tara continued the work they had started in their previous program, continued working on their mental health as well as the relationship with their parents, and after 6 months moved into their own apartment while holding down a full-time job.
_________________________
Eamon never really liked school, mostly because he had some learning challenges that were undetected and in all honesty made him feel pretty bad about himself. He knew that he liked working with computers and being creative, but wasn't sure what direction to go. He also knew he wanted to live on his own but just didn't feel he had the skills to do that yet. After securing an entry-level part-time position with a local computer shop, Eamon really began working with his coaches on finances and other living skills before ultimately moving into his own apartment.
