Nothing compares to the moment you realize your voice truly matters. For most of my childhood, it felt like mine didn’t. When I came to The Bridge for Youth, I finally found the compassion and care I had been missing.
Before I came to The Bridge, life at home was a cycle of ups and downs, good moments followed by really bad ones. Eventually, it became too much. At 16, I made the difficult choice to become emancipated. I arrived at Resilience House, The Bridge’s emergency shelter for youth ages 10-17, late that same night hoping to find care – and that’s exactly what I found.
Because of our commUNITY of support, we’ve surpassed our $1000,000 match. Our anonymous donor has raised it $150,000. Make a gift before January 1st and double your impact.
From the moment I walked in, staff welcomed me with the same love and care they gave everyone, despite the hour. I struggled with insomnia, so I was up late a lot, and I would hear staff cooking food for new youth who arrived in the middle of the night. It comforted me to know that no matter what hour of the day, there was someone here to give us consistency and care around the clock.
I was very soft-spoken, but the staff made me feel comfortable enough to let my walls down and helped me speak up for what I needed. It inspired me to be myself more.
I’ve always wanted to bring positivity to those around me. At home, who I was and the energy I wanted to put out was not appreciated. But at The Bridge, it was welcomed. I was given the space to grow my leadership and autonomy. I was celebrated, acknowledged, and empowered by the staff. It felt like I had found my perfect team.
Staff constantly reminded me that youth like me were the future. They empowered us to use our voices to advocate for ourselves and receive what we lacked. For me, it helped me in pursuing my dreams of helping others. I went on to serve on The Bridge’s Youth Advisory Board, and I am also now a member of the new Youth Voice & Leadership Initiative of the Board of Directors.
Today, I work in affordable housing and property management for low-income communities, where I get to advocate for residents the same way The Bridge once advocated for me. I get to share my knowledge and make sure individuals have the resources they need to thrive. From my lived experience in emergency shelter, to now having a career in housing justice, I’ve seen firsthand how important the support of our community is.
There are even more youth experiencing homelessness today than when I was a teen. The need has grown, and The Bridge continues to evolve to be there for youth.
Your generosity helps make that possible. When you make a gift, you are supporting life-changing programs that empower youth like me.
The Bridge helped me find my voice to advocate for myself, and others. Now, I am proud to use my voice to ask you to make a gift today and continue supporting youth as we dream, inspire, and hope.
With gratitude,
Jacoby, A Former Youth at The Bridge
