New Beginnings for
at-risk youth
SARAH
ROHRS/Times-Herald staff writer
Concerned
about homeless teenagers and foster care children who have nowhere to go when
they "age out" of the system, Cynthia Grady did more than
worry. She
vowed to give them a helping hand.
"The need just tugged at my heart. I thought
'I got to do something,'" she said.
Grady started New Beginnings Supportive
Services, a nonprofit that provides at-risk youth with basic necessities and
helps them become productive, self-sufficient adults with a permanent place to
call home.
After eight months of planning and building
community support, she and her board of directors are about to open the top
floor of a house at
At the center, youth will find food, clothing, and
referrals to agencies for service and other help. Grady hopes they will find
the center a relaxing, supportive and family-oriented place to check their
e-mail, get help with their résumés,
and secure other help.
To launch the effort, New Beginnings has teamed up
with Hands of Faith to stage a parking lot sale with proceeds going to create
care packages for homeless youth with soap, deodorant and other hygiene
products.
New Beginnings will distribute these packages to
youth on the streets or through social service agencies. Agency workers will
also mentor youth in getting jobs, opening a bank account, budgeting and other
areas. In a few months, the agency will also stage life-coaching workshops
taught by local professionals and volunteers, Grady said.
A foster mother, Grady serves in Solano County
Health and Social Services' Family to Family program to encourage more adults
to become foster parents.
Youth aging out of foster care when they turn 18,
often have nothing more than a plastic garbage bag to carry their belongings
in, and often sleep on friends' couches until they wear out their welcome,
Grady said.
"This is the population that's most forgotten,
most at risk and in most need of help," Grady said. "It's time we
admit they are out there and they need help."
For more details on the New Beginnings Supportive
Services drop-in transition center call
Contact Sarah Rohrs at
srohrs@thnewsnet.com or
If you go
What: Parking Lot
Supportive Services and Hands of Faith
When:
Where:
