Homes for Those That Could Have Been Homeless

“When I needed my real mom the most, she wasn’t there for me. I go to bed every night just thinking about her. It’s tough,” said Tracy Joachim, a 21-year-old Atlantan who spent his childhood in the city’s foster care system.

Joachim’s story is painful, but things have been looking up for him since he entered the CHRIS Kids’ TransitionZ program and moved into Summit Trail, the EarthCraft-certified apartment complex in East Atlanta where the young adults in the program live.

While CHRIS Kids has been helping heal children, strengthen families and build community for the past 30 years, the TransitionZ program and Summit Trail housing began in April 2010 and has already impacted a number of young folks in need. The 1- and 2-bedroom apartments are home to 44 young adults, ages 17-24, who are aging out of foster care and/or homeless.

Basically, without a program like this, many of them would be on the streets.

There are singles as well as parents (currently, nine parents with a total of 10 children), and a number of the young adults in the program are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).

“We target our outreach [to LGBT youth] because they are disproportionately homeless,” said Kathy Colbenson, CEO of CHRIS Kids.

“Anywhere from 40 to 56 percent of the homeless population are self-identified LGBT. And they often don’t feel safe in programs that don’t accept them for who they are.”

The program is operated on CHRIS Kids’ five principles that make up its acronym (creativity, honor, respect, integrity and safety) and is designed to help the young adults become self-sufficient and contributing members of society.

“We want them to be educated and employed and develop non-abusive relationships,” Colbenson said.

Those in the program will work with their individual case managers to develop a plan to achieve their goals. There is also a life skills director they interact with and resident advisors who are on site at Summit Trail 24/7 to provide additional support and guidance.

As for the housing, don’t think it’s a handout. Summit Trail residents must work and pay rent—a minimum of $125 or 30 percent of their incomes. To pay the rest of the rent, they can qualify for a rental assistance voucher through a partnership with the Atlanta Housing Authority’s Catalyst Voucher Program.

“The goal is to teach people to fish, not to do the fishing for them,” Colbenson said.

For the young adults at Summit Trail, having their own home is something many have never imagined.

“It’s such a big deal to even have their own bedrooms!” Colbenson said.

“They’ve either been homeless or they’ve been couch-surfing or they’ve been in foster care where they’ve had to share a bedroom their whole lives.”

The young adults come to TransitionZ by referral or through the Department of Family and Children Services. Some also come from one of CHRIS Kids’ eight group homes, like Sheldon Marshall, 20, who was in a group home since 2007, then moved to Summit Trail when it opened. He and his wife have an 18-month-old son and a baby girl on the way.

“I was bounced around in foster homes before coming to CHRIS Kids,” Marshall said.

“I was a troubled youth and even though I did some stupid things while I was [at CHRIS Kids], they kept me here and helped me work through my problems.”

Living at Summit Trail is helping Marshall’s family save money while he looks for a job with the help of the TransitionZ staff. But job help is only one small part of what the staff provides him.

“I think of the staff as my mothers and fathers. How they treat me is how I want to treat my kids. I want to make sure my family is stable.”

Stories of success and stability are the norm at Summit Trail.

“We have some residents that have gone on to their own apartments or transferred to college dorms,” Colbenson said.

“We have a young man that used to be homeless that is now going to Morehouse [College] in the fall. A couple of kids have reconnected with parents. One young woman is now living in Hawaii where she has an aunt. Each has a different path, but the path is the same in that it is leading to self-sufficiency.”

Sadly, there is a far greater need for Summit Trail than its capacity which means a waiting list to get in. But CHRIS Kids doesn’t let anyone “just wait” and will place a youth in need in one of the group homes or find a place for him or her.

Funds for TransitionZ and Summit Trail come from fundraisers, individual donations and grants, and the program is always in need of more assistance.

“Any donation can go a long way to help us provide basic needs for these kids to finish their educations or get jobs,” Colbenson said.

“Transportation is a huge issue, too. These are folks that are totally reliant on MARTA and a monthly pass is $68 a month.”

Every little bit from the community helps when it comes to changing lives like that of Sheldon Marshall’s and Tracy Joachim.

When asked about TransitionZ, Joachim will tell you, “I couldn’t ask for anything else. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Visit chriskids.org for more information on how to help.