Hello friends! 

We want to fill you in on some of what our program participants have been working on in the past week. 

One of our humans, who has recently aged out of the foster care system, has continued moving towards all things adult: practicing for the road test for his driver's license, starting a bank account, lining up a welding job, and learning how to purchase stamps. This human paid for his cell phone bill for January and February, which is significant progress! This human is still working on remembering all the responsibilities that comes with being an adult, but he has been very open to processing through his tumultuous upbringing and how he got to where he is now. He appears to have a healthy perspective and a clear vision as he eagerly moves forward, along with his support system. 

One of our humans has shown her true generosity and compassion for others this past week in providing a safe space for two other participants until these participants can obtain proper housing. This human is a true helper, and despite the trauma she has endured in her life and the current barriers she faces, she has amazingly offered to provide tangible support to peers in need. This human has shown dedication to the program in completing our ACEs activity to learn about childhood trauma and reflect on this and completing several finance activities. 

One of our humans got connected to an attorney to review his legal needs and attended his first ever court date. This human has faced incarceration in the past and had never been in a courtroom before. With support from Peer Humanity, he was provided transportation, education about the court process, and the presence of a social worker through this entire, intimidating process. This human displayed a sense of empowerment, relief, and gratitude after this experience. Peer Humanity was also able to help him financially to pay child support this past week, and this human is looking forward to future projects with Peer Humanity, utilizing his creative talents and building upon his skillset. 

One of our humans coming into the program has gotten to know Peer Humanity staff and is learning how the program may help him. He has been very open about barriers that affected him in his childhood and have carried throughout his life, along with recent legal struggles. This human is extremely optimistic about improving his situation, both in the short and long term, and he is working on focusing several big ideas he has, into specific goals he'd like to come into fruition. This human is very engaged in the program and has expressed genuine gratitude for the opportunities and support being provided to him through Peer Humanity thus far. 

One of our humans has continued her streak of getting her affairs in order, including going through the obstacles to obtain housing, setting up and attending medical appointments, and continuing working to earn an income. This human is happy to have found a support system that she can reach out to. She is learning what boundaries are and how to set them in her own life to keep herself safe and continue to move towards her goals. This human always says thank you and is eager to continue making huge strides towards stability and overall growth. 

One of our humans has attended housing appointments this past week and continues the process to secure safe, stable housing, after facing homelessness on and off for years. This human continues working with the system regarding the placement of her children and is looking forward to overcoming this tough battle. She has continued making strides with her mental health barriers and all that comes along with this. She is learning what healthy coping tools work for her and is practicing using them in place of the unhealthy ones and is implementing regular therapy appointments and doctor visits into her routine. She is also taking on the difficult task of re-building her support system, working towards safety in her relationships, and learning to love herself first. 

One of our humans has secured housing assistance for a few months while she works towards stability. With support and resource referral from Peer Humanity, this human took initiative to work through the process of obtaining this assistance, which is a huge step for her, as she has been at risk for homelessness for months. This human is working towards finding a reliable vehicle to have transportation to and from appointments, work, and her child’s school. She has also contacted her child’s school to communicate about the child’s needs. This human is learning the significance of communication and is learning to set boundaries with those in her life, so she can continue to keep herself and her family safe and on a path forward.  

Stay connected as we will continue to provide you updates on the work we’re doing and the progress of our participants! Thank you for your continued support! 

- The Peer Humanity Team