2024 by the numbers
The average age of someone referred to H2H for furnishing assistance is 21, which has been consistent throughout our 8 years of operations. In addition, referred youth are primarily female-identifying. This year, 135 women, 42 men, and 6 non-binary individuals were referred for our services.
The majority of the youth we assisted found housing in New York City: 65 young people in Manhattan, 50 in Brooklyn, 42 in the Bronx, 17 in Queens, and 1 in Staten Island. Additionally, we helped 5 former foster youth in Suffolk County, 1 in Westchester County, 1 in Orange County, 1 in Connecticut, and 1 in North Carolina. We’ve also been seeing a trend in youth moving to supportive housing. What was once 1 in 10 referrals is now 1 in 3! The majority of youth do still find a home in public housing (64%), while only 4% of young adults are able to afford market rate housing.
Education is important, so we are happy to say we helped 9 recent college grads furnish their first independent homes. It is well-documented that finishing college is a herculean task for those in foster care, so a big congratulations to these incredible young people who were successful in completing their degrees! We also worked with 27 individuals who aged out of care while working toward their degree. Another 19 were referred after finished their GED, and 88 were referred after finishing high school. Hearts to Homes also furnished apartments for 3 people who had completed trade certificates and 18 who were working on their GED. 19 of the youth we assisted were focusing on working or parenting instead of current education goals.
As we speak about the young people we assist, we would be remiss to not acknowledge the impact that H2H furnishings can have on young families. 63 individuals referred to H2H in 2024 were parents (4 dads and 59 moms). In total, 65 infants, toddlers, and young children had their primary living space transformed into a warm and comfortable home.
Twenty-five organizations made these referrals happen. Our thanks to these incredible organizations for helping young adults in need make a smoother transition to independence: Abbott House, Children’s Aid Society, CASA-NYC, Cayuga Centers, Catholic Guardian Society, Cardinal McCloskey Community Services, The Children’s Village, Family and Children’s Association, Forestdale, Inc., Good Shepherd Services, Graham Windham, Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services, The Jewish Board, JCCA, Little Flower Children & Family Services, Lawyers for Children, Lutheran Social Services on New York, Martin de Porres Youth & Family Services, MercyFirst, The New York Foundling, Rising Ground, SCO Family of Services, Seaman’s Society for Children & Families, and St. Dominic’s Family Services.
None of this would be possible without the generosity of hundreds of individuals and dozens of corporations, organizations, and foundations. Our board of directors, our volunteers and our staff are also instrumental in keeping operations running efficiently and in ensuring the success of our special events.
We thank everyone who played a part in an impactful 2024 and look forward to empowering even more young people in 2025!