Blessed Haven is a non profit charity whose primary mission is to provide life skills training, crisis counseling, mentorship programs and resources – both financial and educational – to help support and provide assistance to youth within the foster care system. The organization also is positioned to provide valuable guidance to youth who have “aged out” of the foster care system assisting them with their transition into adulthood during a time when they, unfortunately, often have no other support system or family to rely on.
As a former ward of the state who was in the foster care system for 7 years, I intimately know the many obstacles foster youth encounter on a daily basis as they search to obtain a sense of normalcy in their lives. Some, as I did, deal with abusive foster parents, while others face a myriad of social, personal and mental challenges while in the system. After aging out, many face the reality of their existing challenges (during recovery from sexual, physical and emotional abuse) merging with new ones as they must navigate finding living quarters, continuing their education or looking for ways to make a living “on their own”. Seventy percent of homeless young adults are former wards of the foster care system. Every bit of support is critical for the youth who are at risk to become lost in the cracks between the varying degrees of “shelter” that exists for wards of the state and the lack of such shelter in the real world. Blessed Haven needs your help to become a more stable shelter for foster youth of all ages.
We are currently soliciting support for the holiday gift card and toiletries drive as well as any additional support one may be able to provide for program support for the 2012 year.
In the DC Area? Join Blessed Haven at Park at 14th for food, fun, raffles and drink specials 5-9!
To learn more about Blessed Haven visit www.blessedhaveninc.org and follow them on Twitter @blessedhaveninc.
