A Hunger for Success
“What if we knew 30 years ago what we know now and could intervene?”
Jerome Maynard has known some tough times in his still youthful 22 years, and one thing he is certain about: He doesn’t want to go through them again. And he has definite plans for his life.
A graduate of Covenant House’s Rites of Passage transitional program for homeless youth, Jerome arrived at Project HOME’s newest residence, JBJ Soul Homes, in April. He is one of ten young persons who are part of a new pilot program. “I am really thankful,” Jerome says of his new home. “I didn’t see this opportunity coming, but now that it’s here, I want to take advantage of it. I plan on maximizing my full potential while I’m here.”
Jerome’s excitement at being part of Project HOME is palpable – and we are excited that he is part of our community. The JBJ Soul Homes Young Adult Program is one critical component of the Middleton Partnership, a multi-year initiative to end chronic street homelessness, and is funded by Arthur M. Kaplan and R. Duane Perry, the Haines Family Foundation, and The Vert Charitable Trust. Jon Bon Jovi and Leigh and John Middleton are keenly focused on preventing future homelessness for youth and see this pilot as a strategic priority to prevent future homelessness.
We have always welcomed young people who were experiencing homelessness into our residences. In any given year, roughly 30 young people between 18 and 25 live in our different sites. But the impetus for this new program emerged somewhere in the early stages of planning for the Middleton Partnership. We were talking with Prof. Dennis Culhane from the University of Pennsylvania, a national expert on homelessness and a long-time collaborator with Project HOME, who posed the question, “What if we knew 30 years ago what we know now about how people fall into chronic homelessness, and what if we could have intervened then?” We realized that the youth of today who are facing unstable housing and difficult circumstances in their lives could easily become the next generation of those who experience chronic homelessness.
We were also struck by a trend we saw in our Hub of Hope program, a winter drop-in center for persons experiencing chronic street homelessness. This past year, the percentage of young persons coming for services in the Hub doubled from the previous year. This indicated an alarming rise in the number of young persons on the streets.
We then decided that a focus on young people would be part of the Partnership plan. Working with a large group of youth service providers and advocates in Philadelphia, and responding to the new Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, which included its own focus on young adults, we designed a small pilot program. Ten of the 55 units would be dedicated to the JBJ Soul Homes Young Adult Program. The program uses PHA rent subsidies plus private services funding. The case management is provided through a partnership with Covenant House, a long-time and highly reputable program for homeless youth.
The program is geared for young people ages 18 to 24. It provides them with stable housing and a range of services and support to empower them to achieve self-sufficiency – it is expected that within a few years they will be working, going to school, managing their finances, and paying market-rate rent (at Project HOME or somewhere else).
The first young persons in the program have moved in and are making a home and life at JBJ Soul Homes. Some, like Jerome, are transitioning directly out of Covenant House’s Rights of Passage program. Others are coming out of the foster care system or were in shelters. Most have had unstable family situations and serious struggles in their lives. All of them are currently working part-time and currently in school or preparing to take classes.
Jerome works 37 hours a week at a gym and will enroll this summer at Community College. His aim is an associates’ degree in communication – the first step in a long-term goal of being a sports analyst. “That’s a passion of mine,” he says. He’s excited to be getting back into the classroom. “Going back to school is long overdue. I’m excited to finally be getting on the path to where I want to be.”
Zeb Davis is the lead case manager for the Young Adult Program, working jointly through Project HOME and Covenant House. Zeb is impressed with this particular group of young people. “They are all hungry. They want more in life, they want to be successful. They don’t just talk about finishing college, they talk about getting their master’s degree and their doctorate. It’s a joy to be around a group of individuals who want more out of life.”
You can feel that hunger when you talk to Jerome Maynard. He is clear that he will use his time at JBJ Soul Homes to work toward his personal goals. But he also insists that it’s not just about him. While he is at Project HOME, he says, “I can contribute, I can make my voice heard about ending homelessness. I want to do any little thing that I can to make a difference and to help change somebody’s life.”
He even expresses a sense of responsibility: “We’re the first kids to come here, and if we succeed, it shows other people what this program is about, and it assures them that it can really make a difference.”
With young people like Jerome, we are confident that the future will be different – for him, and for many others.
To get to know another of our wonderful young people at JBJ Soul Homes, listen to Cheryl Ann Davis’ moving and heartfelt talk at the April 22 Grand Opening.
