Connections Homes, Inc.

Civic Organizations
Alpharetta

470-266-1462
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Opening Doors to Forever
Company Name
Connections Homes, Inc.
Online Social Profiles
Phone Number
470-266-1462
Location
2555 Northwinds Pkwy
Alpharetta, Georgia, 30009
United States
Year Established
2014
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm

About Connections Homes, Inc.

Connections Homes mission is to prevent poverty and homelessness for youth 18 - 24 who are aging out of foster care or homeless without family by matching them with a stable, supportive Mentoring Family who commits to being a lifelong connection in their life. The organization was incorporated in 2013 and have been recruiting, training, and certifying Mentoring Families and matching them to youth without stable families since June of 2014. We serve the Greater Atlanta area and our offices have been located in Gwinnett County from the beginning.

At launch, Connections Homes was the only organization in the U.S. (that we are aware of) who was meeting the “forever family” needs of this population (aging out of foster care and homeless youth without family) by providing a Mentoring Family who commits to them for life. Through our pioneering efforts in Georgia, 81 young adult connections have been matched and maintained since 2014. We currently have over 100 trained and certified Mentoring Families and 129 additional families are actively going through their training and certification process which includes an online orientation (30-minutes), 8-hours of in-person training, and application/background check. The 8-hour in-person training includes the following topics: Emerging Adulthood, Building Resilience in Young Adults, Communication & Conflict Resolution, Trauma-Informed Understanding, Relationship Building, and Understanding Young Adult Behaviors & Choices (i.e. drugs, alcohol, and sexual relationships).

The youth we work with are between the ages of 18 - 24 years old and are at high risk for chronic poverty and homelessness. 97% of youth who age out of foster care end up in poverty or worse, mainly due to lack of education or a skilled trade which would enable them to earn a living wage. The lack of education and skilled trade is commonly linked back to their inability to navigate adult systems of school, work, etc. and the absence of supportive adults who can help them overcome their obstacles (having correct documents, motivation, awareness of opportunities, etc.). Additionally, 65% of girls who age out of foster care or experience homelessness find themselves pregnant within the first year.

Youth need to feel positive and hopeful about their future and believe in their ability to achieve success with hard work, resilience, and resourcefulness. We want them to develop a sense of self-worth, self-esteem, confidence, and resolve in order to move beyond their setbacks and challenges. A successful transition for any teenager into adulthood doesn’t happen without a solid set of positive role models and advisors. For most of us, those took the form of family or childhood community. For youth who’ve aged out of foster care or are homeless without family, they are left to their own thinking or peer-level “wisdom” which contributes to a continued cycle of poverty, homelessness, and hopelessness.

The development of a safe, supportive, and stable relationship to a Mentoring Family allows the youth to feel supported in their endeavors while also providing the needed accountability systems to keep the youth on track toward their goals. Having a consistent person checking in on them, opening up resources and opportunities, and partnering with them to overcome obstacles such as missing documents (drivers licenses, birth certificates, etc.) helps the youth to remain motivated and being to aspire to a better life for themselves. Change occurs over time as the youth develops the ability to trust that the relationship is sincere and begins to rely on their Mentoring Family for advice, assistance with critical decision-making, and guidance.

Through the Family & Adult Connections program, our Relationship Managers work with area Independent/Transitional Living and Shelter Programs to identify and engage connection-ready youth who are on the verge of aging out of foster care, have aged out of foster care, or are homeless without significant family connections. A relationship is built with at-risk youth through a variety of personal engagement activities including staffing meetings with program staff, relationship-building activities and outings, and one-on-one meetings. Youth are screened, interviewed and accepted into our program through a hands-on approach requiring a personal relationship with the youth and their referring organization. Once approved the youth is matched with an appropriate Mentoring Family and supported as they build a lifelong, stable connection to one another.

Our goals in 2019 include matching and maintaining 100 new connections for youth without family to Mentoring Families, launching a Career Connection Center in Lawrenceville which will empower youth 16 - 24 with clothing for job interviews as well a career coaching, and launching a Youth Leadership Program - a six month program designed to build leadership and community awareness in the youth we serve through classroom teaching, mentorship, and community service projects.