By Monika Spaulding
With hopes of helping struggling students to reach their full potential, Homestretch is looking for community support as it gets established in Washington County.
Last Thursday evening, the group held a fundraising, informational dinner at Westview Church. During the event, community members heard from the organization’s board about what the group is doing and wants to continue doing in the community.
Maria Burks led the evening, discussing everything from the group’s logo to their mission. She said Homestretch is something that has been on her heart for years, she just wasn’t sure how to get it up and going. That’s when she reached out to others about her vision and the ball started rolling.
The group specifically helps students who are 18 years old, are seniors in high school and do not have a home. She said although those are very specific terms, there is a great need to help students who match those criteria.
“This is a real problem that lives right here in our county,” said Burks. “We have a homeless camp. We have homeless kids.”
She said the goal is to get kids in a home their senior year and help them with life skills, including things like money management. This will allow students to finish high school in a more stable environment, get their high school diploma and be ready for the real world.
Burks said she is someone who wants to find out where God is working already and join there. She has been walking through open doors to make this organization a reality.
“We are in the iron grip of poverty in this area,” she said, adding that there are kids living in sheds, no bed, no water, no electricity.
She said when bad things happen, people seem to ask, “where is God in all of this?”
“God’s weaving a pattern and we all have a part in it,” she said, gesturing to everyone present. She said everyone in attendance has been part of her life in one way or another and bringing everyone together to work on this project is one example of God at work.
Burks reached out to David Miller at Hoosier Uplands about 15 months ago. Her original thought was to have a house where these students could live, but Miller convinced her that it would be too big of an expense and the upkeep, insurance, etc. would be too much. That’s when she turned to the idea of finding host families, people who would be willing to let these students live with them for a school year.
“Sustainability is the key,” said Burks. “Why start something if you can’t keep it going?”
She decided that host families would make the program more sustainable. Often students in this situation are “couch surfers” or kids who go from home-to-home sleeping at friend’s houses, places where they feel comfortable. With Homestretch, those places can become year-long homes for these students.
Hoosier Uplands liked the idea of Homestretch and saw the need, donating $10,000 to get things started, which allowed them to get the 501(c)(3). Burks said after figuring that part out, the question became how can we bring resources to the homes and help them?
Thanks to a fund with the Washington County Community Foundation, the families will receive a $400 stipend every month to help with expenses. They will also give $100 a month to the youth to help with teaching money management. Host families will help get them on their feet, get doctor’s appointments, etc. and give them the care they may not have received in the past.
Burks said WCCF Director Judy Johnson shared with her information she came across that were “rules” to follow to keep yourself out of poverty. The three rules were: graduate from high school, wait to get married until after age 21 and do not have children until you’re married, work a full-time job. Burkes said if these are followed you have a less than 2% chance of living in poverty.
“We want kids to take responsibility for their own life,” said Burks. “Personal decisions trump anything the government will ever do.”
Attendees Thursday evening heard testimonials from West Washington students who were helped by families in the community.
Charles Madden Jr., who was a 7th grader when Burks was the school counselor 10 years ago, was one of the success stories. His dad was arrested at a football game and everyone wanted to make sure Burks talked to him because he’d be so upset. Burks said he was upset, but it was because he didn’t want to blow the good things he had going at school. He was a good kid who didn’t do drugs and alcohol and he wanted to make sure he stayed that way and that he graduated from high school. He needed someone in his corner to support him and his goals.
Madden said coach Phillip Bowsman did a lot of mentoring for him. He got the encouragement and support he needed to graduate. His parents didn’t graduate, making him even more proud of his accomplishment. Now, Madden is getting ready to graduate college from Indiana State in construction management.
“Charles flipped the lens for me,” said Burks. “He was telling me that ‘what I need is support.’”
Another testimonial was a student who didn’t have a place to live or stable environment to grow in. His grades were suffering, and he missed a lot of school. This past school year, he moved in with Coach Jeremy Lowery. He turned his grades from Fs and Ds to As and Bs and only missed one day of school. He graduated and is currently working full time at a factory in Madison.
Robert Chandler is a student who moved in with the Nance family. He said he learned “water can be as thick as blood.
“They were there for me every single day. It has changed my whole life.”
Tracy Smith lost her parents when she was 5 and her sister was 1. They lived with grandparents until she was 17 when her aunt and uncle took over due to the death of her grandparents. It was not a good situation.
She said she met Don and Sherry Elgin through her best friend who was with the Elgin’s all the time. They stepped up and took Smith into their home.
“They were loving and consistent,” she said, adding that two years later, they took her sister in, too. “They gave me a place to be a teen instead of having to grow up too soon.”
These are just a few of the success stories that Homestretch would like to build on in Washington County.
“When we tell people about this, a light comes on in their eyes: they want to give us money or they want a kid,” said Burks.
There is a school committee at West Washington that helps find students who need placement. The committee includes counselors, teachers, coaches and parents. Applications are also on the Homestretch website.
The goal is to get the program going to benefit students at all three county schools.
The organization needs help in many ways and encourages the community to help in whatever way they can: monetarily, providing a home or serving on the organization’s board.
Learn more at homestretch-foundation.org.