We are reducing the traumatic effects of homelessness for eight adolescent girls by promoting learning and joy in Washington, D.C.
Why we care: Children, teens, and families are the “hidden homeless,” and the opportunity for a healthy and happy childhood has a very real expiration date.
How we’re solving this: By nurturing healthy development and reducing the effects of trauma among homeless teenaged girls through opportunities to learn, lead and thrive.
Families with children find themselves homeless for a variety of reasons, including rising rent costs, job loss, incarceration, domestic violence and medical issues.
Homelessness is a particularly vulnerable time in a child’s life, as families live and sleep in unsafe situations while they await more permanent housing. Despite considerable risk factors for homeless young people, most homeless shelters have no programs or services for children, and, unfortunately, many families remain in shelters much longer than expected.
We believe that all children deserve the chance to succeed, regardless of housing status. Education is how children learn and develop, and education helps restore a sense of normalcy to children who no longer have a home to call their own.
Funding from this project, will help us provide eight homeless adolescent girls—ages 12 to 18—with one-on-one attention, healthy snacks, and access to developmentally appropriate activities for one year. We are doing so in order to reduce the traumatic effects of homelessness, encourage the formation of positive relationships, and connect teen girls with education, employment, and healthcare.
Specifically, The Global Fund for Children will provide homework assistance and tutoring; help develop leadership and interpersonal skills; and help girls find a healthy outlet for expression.
Your support will help us:
- Host tutoring nights twice a week to help the girls with their schoolwork
- Conduct reading assessments that measure word recognition and language comprehension to help determine each girl’s reading level
- Create individualized learning plans to help the girls set weekly goals, reinforcing the critical skill of setting and achieving objectives
- Match each girl with a volunteer mentor with whom they meet on a weekly basis
- Give the girls access to various programming they’d otherwise miss out on, including college tours, job application training, interview training, and speaking engagements
Most of the adolescent girls we serve have experienced multiple traumas, including eviction, loss of belongings, food insecurity, separation from family and community, a parent’s job loss or incarceration, disruption in school attendance, and stigma associated with being homeless.
You can help a homeless adolescent girl combat these traumas by donating today.
* Value-Added Services include:
- Helping grassroots partners to develop and report on metrics
- Planning and facilitating regional peer workshops
- Facilitating introductions to other potential funders
- Coordinating training in digital media and technology
- Providing supplementary grants to enable grassroots partners to respond to emergencies (natural or manmade) or to participate in conferences and training opportunities
- Facilitating opportunities to work with local consultants
** Indirect costs are expenses associated with the operation and maintenance of The Global Fund for Children’s facilities, such as rent and telecommunications, as well as general administrative expenses, such as accounting.