Family means different things to different people.  My own concepts of what "family" means has changed over time.  I used to think of it like my own family - a mother, a father and children.  Now I can see many other kinds of families that are just as supporting and caring as my traditional family was and is. Many of the young people in our programs don't have the support of a traditional family.  Some of them have few people in their lives who care about them and cheer them on to succeed. 

For these young people the teacher who takes an interest in them, or the faith community members who show up with dinner and take the time to stay and talk, become the family support system these young people lack.  The people who open their homes to our homeless high school students often become their "family".  

At our Emergency Shelter for Teenagers, we see both "traditional" and "non-traditional" families that are in crisis.  We provide counseling and other support to help them safely stay together.  Our Community Based Programs work to help these families remain stable and avoid a crisis that may result in a young person becoming homeless.  

We see a lot of different "families" at Alternative House and are committed to helping them remain strong and provide the supports young people need.

Maria came to Alternative House's Transitional Living Program distraught, out of options and simply looking for a place to call "home". Maria found out about us from her brothers and sisters, who learned about Alternative House programs at their high school. Growing up, Maria and her siblings bounced between their mother, who struggled with mental illness, a father who had a new family, and an older sister who was attempting to make a life for herself. After graduating from high school, Maria went off to college, but ran into her own mental health troubles while at school. After attempting suicide during her freshman year, she left college and tried to move back to her father's.  Maria's stepmother did not want her to live with them and would not allow it. Without a stable place to call "home", Maria remembered Alternative House and reached out to us. We were able to coordinate housing with a host home through our Transitional Living Program. Maria gained a supportive, family-like place to live while she worked multiple jobs to save money. Maria ultimately achieved stable employment and saved enough money to live independently. Our counselors have also worked with Maria to help her with things like budgets, time management and self-confidence.  Maria says she's now confident that her success will continue when she graduates from our Transitional Living Program later this year.  

Susan Blalock, Alternative House's Development Associate, has been a committed member to our organization since December 2008, and her hard work, dedication, and passion makes her our Employee Spotlight for May. She began at our organization as the Office Manager/Volunteer Coordinator, but after the birth of her daughter she changed paths and filled a very important role on our Development team.