New housing for youth in delaware helps kids transition from foster system

DOVER, Del.- A brand new transitional housing unit from the Murphey School had its ribbon cutting Wednesday meant for women ages 18 to 23 who have grown out of the foster system.

“There is an endless supply of children, young adults leaving foster care. And as a result of that, they need what’s their next step,” said Executive Director Mike Kopp.

Case workers say the program is more than just a place for those women to rest their heads, as it is set to feature wrap-around services to help guide them to success, however, that may look for those individuals.

“We assist them with cash if they need it, but we do encourage them to go to school. We connect with a law here called the HB 1 to 3 bill and they can go to Del State, Udel or DSU and they’ll check for free room and board. We do help with bank accounts, help set them up for bank accounts, and just help them become better adults in society,”  said case manager Shynesha Young.

Those wrap-around services will include financial literacy, as many teens have no credit and could not get any housing on their own, and counseling to help address their emotional needs too.

“Whether they’re going to school, whether they’re going to college, whether they’re employed. And our check-in with them is just about everything and about every part of their day,” said Mary Sweet-Farrow.

Those in the program say they have seen remarkable success stories and is hoping the new housing helps scale up those results.

“Recently we had a young lady who came in and she wanted to do well, not probably like a year ago. She joined our program and took advantage of the HB one, two, and three bail where she was able to go to school for free, she did go attend Del. Tech, she finished the EMT program and she’s on her way to getting her license,” Sweet-Farrow said.

The school now has a total of 14-bed capacity across their transitional housing and plans to add more.