When Tyler arrived at Louis Nine House in 2016, he brought scars from a childhood marked by alienation and neglect and teenage years spent in foster care group homes after his father was incarcerated.
At 18-years-old, he was aging out of foster care… but, like many young people leaving foster care, he didn’t have a place to live or the life skills to be on his own.
Fortunately, Louis Nine House doesn’t just provide a home for Tyler. As a supportive housing program, we also offer supportive services and resources to help him reach his potential.
For Tyler, trusting the Louis Nine House staff who were providing that support wasn’t easy. His history had taught him not to rely on other people. But the Louis Nine House team didn’t quit. “It was rough to be on my own, so I only left my apartment when I needed to,” said Tyler. “They always came to check in. They never gave up on me.”
With time, encouragement, and support, Tyler started to open up. He graduated from high school and continued working with his case manager to set and achieve personal goals.
Last year, the vocational staff helped him apply for a part-time position at Harlem Children’s Zone. He interviewed and was offered a job as a program aide for the summer camp, which was extended into the fall in their after-school program.
He continued in this role until the program was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in March. And even since he was furloughed, he hasn’t lost his motivation.
He frequently checks in with his case manager and has worked with NCS's vocational staff to practice virtual mock interviews, which are entirely new for him. And he is researching colleges with interest in studying education or engineering. After what Tyler has overcome, he won’t let a pandemic stop him!
Tyler’s story isn’t finished. He knows that there is a lot of work ahead of him to achieve his dreams. But because of the work that he has done with support from Louis Nine House, he knows that he will succeed!
