The Observation Deck

I worked with Youth Guidance and The Big Brother/Big Sister Program for 15 years in Florida. We had a similar program for these kids through Social Services. Except they were not put in apartments on their own or with other teens.

People like me offered to open our homes to them (like roommates) I had two in a four year time span. Both were young males. The state paid their portion of the rent and 1/2 of the utilities. They of course had to pay for their food, clothes and phone bills. The program was closely monitored. They would do periodic home checks and also check with the kids employers, etc. It there were no homes or spots available for them they did have to stay at group homes until a place could be found. The program is still running today there it seems to work. Maybe because it is so closely monitored.

All teens need monitoring, and one on one or two on one!!!! If they did put an entire group in an apartment without several adults, I do see how that could be a disaster. They are going to be much more prone to peer pressure at that age regardless of their past. I hope we find out more about the program and hope they can truly help them. Foster kids or juveniles that don't get help end up adults in the community without the proper skills to live, and that is more of a disaster overall.

Hidden Village is a program run by the Lutheran Housing Ministries, if that helps.

dl meckes wrote:Hidden Village is a program run by the Lutheran Housing Ministries, if that helps.

Does the Lutheran Housing Ministies have an adult on staff at the Apartments? Are there adults living at the apartments that monitor these teens?

I don't know enough about the program to answer intelligently, but IIRC, there is to be on site supervision.