The goal is to fill a serious CT gap. So this organization does housing services ‘soup to nuts’

Aging out of foster care is a dangerous moment for many young people.

Recent statistics show that more than 25% of young people coming out of the care system in Connecticut experience homelessness. For many that can also lead to substance use, incarceration, unwanted pregnancy and mental health challenges.

“One of the fastest growing segments of the [homeless] population is young adults,” said Kara Capone, CEO of Community Housing Advocates in Hartford, “a lot of people that we see coming into the shelter system have been in foster care. ”

Capone describes her organization as providing housing services “soup to nuts.”

“Our mission is to end homelessness,” she said. “So whenever there’s a gap in the community, then we try and fill that gap. And that’s how The Haven came into play.”

The Haven is a 10-bed facility at Charter Oak Place in Hartford. It provides both a home and supportive services for young people between 18 and 25 who have aged out of the foster care system, but who don’t yet have the skills to build an independent life. The building, a former convent, has just celebrated its first anniversary in its new role.

Susana Villalobos, the founding director of The Haven says her priority was “creating an environment that was welcoming – that did make it feel like a home as opposed to another residential program.”

The young people she and her staff work with at The Haven are referred to them by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Villalobos says most come in with dual diagnoses of substance abuse and mental health challenges. Many have never experienced a stable home life or had supportive adults in their lives to play the role of mentor or substitute parent, which means they lack basic skills such as cooking, cleaning, budgeting and paying bills, and even personal hygiene.

“It’s somewhat starting from the bottom up,” Villalobos said, of the challenges she and her staff encounter on a daily basis. “These are individuals that most likely have never had this much stability.”

She said for some residents, the very experience of consistency can be challenging.

“Despite them being in this environment and things are good, because it’s an unfamiliar feeling, they could still react in a negative way. So just being patient and understanding, it’s meeting them where they’re at,” she said.

That also includes supporting the residents in seeking and staying in treatment for substance use and other ongoing medical issues. The Haven employs 15 staff members who work a 24/7 shift system to ensure there’s always someone there for the residents, and they work closely with CT DMHAS which provides clinical services, psychotherapy and medication management alongside vocational and occupational training.

And while The Haven aims to be the first stable environment that many of these young people have experienced, it’s not supposed to be permanent.

“Ultimately the goal is independence,” said Capone. They want to see their residents graduate from the program once they feel ready to establish life on their own.

“It’s our young adults who are exiting foster care who need that transition time,” she said. “They didn’t get it in group homes, they didn’t get it in foster care settings. And so they need to learn activities of daily living. They need to learn how to be responsible adults, and for some of them it takes time.”

In fact the program has just graduated its first resident who has found housing and employment, and is starting a college program.

“It’s been a pleasure to see the growth both with the residents, the program staff, and even myself,” said Villalobos of this first year. “Seeing the small victories — a resident now knowing how to fold their laundry, or a couple of residents now have employment and one or two are going back to school — seeing that we started from where these residents didn’t even want to do those things, to being successful, is very nice to see.”

Capone says a lot of that success is due to the dedication of the staff at The Haven.

“I’m really proud of this program,” she said. “I’m also incredibly proud of the staff who work like you cannot believe on a day-to-day basis. The work that they do with these young adults is pretty intense, and it takes a special type of person. People have a calling to this profession.”