There was little comfort or joy in Jon’s life…
He’d been brutally abused by his stepfather for most of his childhood and placed into foster care at 13. At 16, the diligent teen worked four jobs and saved $4,000 – the majority of which Jon never saw because it went to his mother.
When Jon reached 18, he had aged out of the foster care system overnight. He was suddenly in freefall, with no home, job, or family. Feeling betrayed and hurt by the system, he had nowhere to go.
Then a man Jon always believed to be his biological father invited him to his home. Grateful to have a real family, Jon made his way there and moved in. But his security was short lived. “They talked about me when they thought I couldn’t hear,” he said. “I had a bad feeling.”
Jon’s feelings were well founded. On Thanksgiving Day, Jon learned the man he was living with was not his father and he was kicked out of the house.
As families in the homes around him enjoyed a festive Thanksgiving dinner, Jon walked the unfamiliar streets, wondering where he would sleep that night. When Christmas came along, it was just another day, abandoned and alone.
Jon spent much of the following year wandering between the streets and various shelters. Nobody offered him long-term solutions – until he came to St. Vincent de Paul CARES. Here, you gave Jon not only food, clothes, and a safe place to sleep – you gave him a home and people who really cared about him.
Your Christmas gift to SVdP CARES will give support and stability to more young people aging out of foster care.
Working with his case manager, Jon entered the new Rapid Rehousing Collaboration
Program for individuals experiencing the crisis of homelessness. “No one gets to choose the family they’re born into,” Jon’s housing specialist explains. “Jon faced huge challenges, but he is hopeful about finding a path forward. Housing was just the first step.”
Today, after months of rejection and roughing it on the streets, Jon is living in a shared home, working toward his GED and making plans to enroll in college and pursue a career in the Coast Guard.
With consistent guidance from his case
manager, and support from caring people like you, Jon is sure to excel in his chosen path!
Sadly, homelessness and unemployment are very common among young people who age out of foster care. Within four years, 70% are on government assistance.* They don’t qualify for most housing programs. Without you and SVdP CARES, many will remain statistics … stuck in the welfare system or lost to abuse, addiction, and poverty.
You can fill their Christmas – and the rest of their lives – with comfort and joy!
Your gift today will help provide a home and a future for someone like Jon … someone who is searching for encouragement and acceptance in their life. “SVdP CARES helped me a lot!” Jon tells us. “I like my independence!”
Thank you for providing practical care and the compassion of Christ to those in our community who need it most. You are making their season bright and giving them hope for a better year ahead. Blessings to you and your loved ones!