She was 8 years old when her mother died. Her older brother and 2 younger sisters were left with their alcoholic father, who soon deserted them. There were no other relatives, so the children were placed in foster homes scattered throughout the northeast; none placed in the same home.
What followed afterwards was a tragic childhood tale involving one foster home after another – up to a dozen different families. Most of the foster parents only took her for the money, and some made her sleep in storage spaces. Despair was deep and there were no happy memories from childhood for my mother, who is now in her 80’s. And worse, when she aged out of foster care, she was completely unprepared for what awaited her as an adult. Through no fault of her own, she was victimized by her parents and by the state system that was designed to raise her.
Throughout the years, the foster care system has not changed! Kids in foster care still emerge from that system totally unprepared to transition to adulthood. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, these young people are America’s most vulnerable youth, facing a much greater likelihood of bad outcomes throughout their lives. Research supports that conclusion showing that within 3 years after aging out of foster care, 37% will be incarcerated, 20% will be in substance abuse programs, 45% will be on food stamps, and 50% will be homeless at some point – becoming our new homeless population.
This is an indictment on our society as a whole, and on the human services industry in particular. My commitment, to my mother and to my community, was to build a village for young people who faced transitioning the dangerous shoals of adulthood with no family support system. A place where these youth can feel safe, finish their education, learn life skills, and have career development through the help of a team of professionals and volunteers.
That place is Touchstone Village, where we’re setting new standards for life. We are constructing the Village on 4 acres of property adjacent to our current campus. The Village promises to be a campus of career development for helping young people become productive citizens of our community.
Once operational, my commitment in my mother’s honor is complete.
Tom Patania,
:President, Youth Crisis Center
DESIGNERS AND BUILDERS DONATE TO TOUCHSTONE VILLAGE
Three architectural firms, an engineer, three general contractors, and a land development firm have joined together to create the Touchstone Village, a project designed to provide transitional and independent living services for homeless adolescents ages 16-17, and young adults 18-21, many of whom will be aging-out of foster care. The Touchstone Village has been a long-time dream of the Youth Crisis Center’s president Tom Patania and now, thanks to the generosity of the members of the team, it will become a reality. The formation of the team was spearheaded by Greg Matovina who heard Patania’s vision for the Touchstone Village and how it will help young people entering adulthood get off to the right start. Greg immediately set out to enlist other firms to participate.
The architects who are donating their services are Powers Design, Builders First Source/Florida Design Center, and Bloodgood Sharp Buster. The builders are Varnes Contracting, D.R. Horton, and JDB Homes, and the civil engineer is Jim Lucas of J. Lucas & Associates. The team meets monthly to coordinate the design of the campus that will consist of 3 buildings that will house forty residents and provide intensive training to help them prepare for the independence of adulthood. Life Skill classes will teach them about subjects such as: money management and banking; job preparedness, health and hygiene; housekeeping and cooking; as well as personal development skills such as anger management and decision making.
YCC project manager, Pam Morgan says, “I have worked with architects and builders on several other projects and never experienced such cooperation and teamwork…it’s a joy to see them working together. All of these professionals are truly giving back to the community by their participation on this project”.
The team has completed the design phase of the Touchstone Village and is progressing though the process of completing the construction documents and submitting for permitting. At its last team meeting there was discussion about seeking other participants who will donate to the project including sub-contractors and suppliers. Funding for the project has been received from state, city, corporate and private sources. If you are interested in getting involved call Pam Morgan at 720-0002.
