Sometimes, Hearts to Homes supports more than just an individual aging out of foster care. One-third of young adults are pregnant or parenting when they are referred to us for assistance.

Our goal is to help these families stay together – we have even enabled a family reunification – by supplying everything needed for a safe and complete home.  In fact, with your help, we’re supporting more families each year – 19 families in 2020, 26 in 2021, and 29 families in 2022.

Overall, that means that your support has helped to furnish the homes of over 145 infants, toddlers and young children, making their home a safer, more comfortable place to grow and thrive!

Currently in 2023, 83% of our parents are stable and living with their children. In one study, only about half of children born to a mother in foster care remained out of foster care by age two. Does providing a safe and comfortably furnished home help to keep these young parents more stable?  We would certainly like to think so.  The cost of caring for a child in foster care has a terrible emotional cost and can average $50,000 per year.

Through providing furnishing and living necessities for our recipients, at an average cost of $2,310 per family, we are part of a system of support that promotes stability. With your help, Hearts to Homes aims to keep families together and end the cycle of foster care. Because we all know, we are better when we are together.

• 123 apartments furnished over 365 days! That’s a 25% increase over the prior year.
• Assistance provided to youth aged 18 to 26. The average age of our young adults is 21 years old.
• 70% of apartments furnished were in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. We also provided furnishings to youth in Queens, Staten Island, Westchester and, for the first time, Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam and Rockland Counties.  We also furnished apartments for NYC youth who relocated to Stamford, New Orleans and Houston.
• We provided furnishings to young women who were leaving foster care while pregnant or parenting. The homes of 35 infants, toddler and young children were made more comfortable and safer with our furnishing assistance. In many cases, Good + Foundation or Bundles of Joy provided several items needed for these children. Synergistic partnerships are so important and beneficial! We appreciate the support these organizations provide.
• In addition to expanding our services to more geographic regions, we expanded services to those who have two parts of their GED completed and who plan on completing that educational credential.  We also can now accept referrals of youth who have a trade certificate, even if they do not have a high school diploma/GED. We assisted 6 youth who aged out after graduating college and 24 young adults who are currently college students. Education and job skills are vital steppingstones to success!
• Over 50% of those referred to us desire some type of mentoring relationship. Hearts to Homes can now connect these young adults to this vital resource.
• Hearts to Homes provided a meal basket to 43 individuals who indicated that they needed this type of assistance during the year-end holidays. 

Hearts to Homes is pleased to announce a partnership with CASA-NYC. Family court judges assign CASA-NYC volunteers to the most complex cases for young people involved in the NYC child welfare system. These volunteers work diligently to provide individualized attention to each child, ensuring their needs are protected and rights addressed while helping them navigate the maze of the NYC foster care system.  They work to ensure that children in foster care are moved quickly into safe, stable, nurturing, and permanent homes – with their families of origin whenever possible. We welcome CASA-NYC as the 27^th referring partner in our Hearts to Homes family. 

Hearts to Homes is pleased to welcome, and introduce to our donors, four new members of our Board of Directors. Each of these individuals brings a commitment to philanthropy and to our mission to help foster youth make a smoother transition from foster care to independence. We look forward to working with them as we continue our work in New York City, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland and Putnam counties.

On Wednesday, October 12, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt featured the story of Christina Abraham, a young woman who received Hearts to Homes furnishing support this past August. Watch the report to learn more about the impact your donation makes!

Part 1 and Part 2 of NBC Nightly News Films give a more in-depth look into the process of aging out and Hearts to Homes’ program for assistance.

Unprotected: Aging out of foster care (Part 1)

Unprotected: Aging out of foster care (Part 2)

Our thanks for the treasure, time, and talents of Debbra Stolarik and Patrick Dolan, two Hearts to Homes board members who have finished their term. Their efforts on behalf of foster youth helped us expand our support to youth at twenty-six organizations. Our mission would not have had this growth without their amazing leadership!

Hearts to Homes is pleased to announce two new partnerships which are helping us expand our services geographically to more individuals in need!

NAFI New York is a multi-service agency that has provided programming and individualized support services to youth and families, since 2005, in a variety of settings across New York State.  In this case, this partnership is the direct result of an expansion of services to Putnam County!  NAFI’s core services include foster care, wraparound programming, and ground-breaking, evidence-based services for families in their homes and communities.  

Family & Children’s Association (FCA) is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit that is dedicated to providing help and hope to Long Island’s most vulnerable children, families, seniors, and communities. We are pleased to be supporting young adults who are part of FCA’s Project Independence. This new partnership has led to the furnishing of our first home in Suffolk County!

We welcome NAFI and FCA as the 25th and 26^th referring partner in our Hearts to Homes family.

Hearts to Homes is happy to announce the expansion of services to young adults aging out of foster care in Rockland County.  We look forward to working with Rockland County Department of Social Services to provide furnishings and furniture to Rockland youth in need.  This follows recent expansions to Nassau and Suffolk counties.

We are pleased to share an Op-ED written by our H2H board member, Jeremiah Perez-Torres.

Opinion: For Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, Housing Support is Crucial (citylimits.org)