Life at Teen Living Programs

Each young person creates an individual path toward healing and independence, developing Individual Action Plans. Some youth initially meet us through our Bronzeville Youth Shelter. For others, Belfort House is their first point of contact. Some leave Belfort and participate in our after-care program, Shoulder-to-Shoulder. This timetable represents one of the most common ways our youth experience TLP.

Day 1

When youth first come to TLP, they are interviewed to be sure they are a good candidate for a community living program. Younger teens needing immediate services may be directed to our Bronzeville Youth Shelter. Youth with severe mental illness or developmental disabilities, severe drug addiction, or those who otherwise may not be appropriate for community living, are connected with agencies better able to meet their needs. Staff always make sure those who cannot stay at Belfort House have a safe place to go.

Those youth eligible to stay at Belfort House are interviewed by TLP’s Clinical Director, Dr. Ozella Phillips. "I have to ask a lot of very personal questions, even though they don’t know me very well," she says. "I’m up front with them and once they know I want to help, they are usually very open and honest."

New residents sign an agreement to abide by program expectations and receive a Welcome Basket filled with necessities including toiletries, underwear and bedding. "Everything in the basket is brand-new, never been used by anyone else," says Dr. Phillips. "This basket makes them feel special right away."

Month 1

In the first three days, new residents meet with the nurse practitioner to immediately understand the importance of taking care of their health. They meet with their clinical case manager, who helps them identify their strengths and interests and with whom they continue to meet on a weekly basis.

In the first month, relationships begin to form and community living becomes more comfortable for new residents. Youth also meet with other staff to develop customized Individual Action Plans (IAP), including vocational, educational, nutritional, and personal goals.

Many residents have learned harmful ways to protect themselves from trauma they’ve suffered or to deal with boredom. Through an array of cultural, artistic, and fun recreational offerings, staff help them find creative and healthy ways to enjoy leisure time.

Year 1

As the name implies, TLP’s Integrated Skills for Independent Living program (I-SkIL) addresses skills youth need to live independently: money management, making a good first impression, resolving conflict, finding a job, sustaining healthy relationships, making home repairs, living drug-free, and much more. I-SkIL is the only program in which TLP requires participation. Belfort House residents attend classes once a week, and the seven-unit program takes seven months to complete.

The average stay at Belfort House is six to seven months, though many youth stay as long as a year or more, if necessary.

During their stay, Individual Action Plans are updated regularly. Youth work toward completing high school or obtaining a GED or other education; work to secure a job; participate in community events; and learn how to become vital and contributing members of the TLP and wider community.

To graduate from Belfort House into the Clustered and Scattered Site Apartment (CaSSA) program, youth must meet the goals they set in their Individual Action Plans, be employed at the same job for three months, and regularly save 60 percent of their paycheck, with at least $500 in savings. The final step toward graduation is an interview with five members of the TLP staff, including the executive director, to assess independent living readiness.

With these criteria met, it’s time for celebration as youth move into their own CaSSA apartments!

Years 2 to 4

Youth who graduate from Belfort House are eligible to enter the CaSSA program. During the two-year program, youth create and actively pursue a new action plan, complete with further educational, vocational, and personal development goals. Youth meet with their clinical case manager twice monthly. TLP provides rent and grocery subsidies.

Throughout the program, participants must be employed, and each month progressively save more money. When they graduate from CaSSA, they begin their independence with several thousand dollars saved, and TLP transfers the apartment lease to the youth.

During the six months after CaSSA graduation, youth continue to meet with their case manager at first twice, then once a month.

Against extraordinary odds, these youth have transformed their lives, achieving educational, vocational, and personal goals that once seemed utterly unattainable. They live independently, with a support network of friends and resources just a phone call away.