Youth Focus is partnering with First Baptist Church of Greensboro to provide free housing through its transitional living program thanks to a new grant from the Weaver Foundation, WXII reports.
The community organization serves as a Safe Place for any child in Guilford, Randolph and Davidson counties experiencing housing insecurity with a variety of counseling and assistance programs. The addition of two new beds in Greensboro is just one way they are working to meet expanding housing needs.
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"We've probably received about 50 calls since January of individuals 18-21 that need housing and need support," said Sarah Roethlinger, the executive director of Youth Focus.
Youth Focus received the keys on Friday to the freshly painted two-bedroom apartment — adding to its existing transitional housing program. Volunteers will spend the next week furnishing the Adams' House to make the blank canvas feel like home for two youth residents.
"Sometimes, they just need a safe place to land so they can focus on that because if a young person is sleeping outside, or in a car, or in a tent, it's going to be hard for them to focus and really finish that education or even work a job," she said.
Roethlinger said it's not just about getting a roof over their head.
"This program is more than just housing," she said. "It's really helping them build those independent living skills, it's helping them learn how to do things on your own. So it's not a Band-Aid. We are really trying to empower them to learn all the things that they need so when they leave our program, they feel confident."
In the last year alone, Youth Focus said they've helped roughly 900 people under the age of 21 across their programs. The most recent data from Guilford County Schools in 2024 echoes the high need for housing assistance. Nearly 3,000 students across the district were identified as having transitional living conditions.
Alan Sherouse, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Greensboro, said the mission aligns with their values and is an obvious way to provide for the community.
"Our church has had a lot of conversation about the need, the housing crisis in our community, the need for affordable housing and the need for attainable housing for all populations of people, and how hard it is for someone who's working hard to find a place that is safe, a place where they can thrive, a place that they can live in our community," he said.
The Adams' House property has belonged to the church for decades, serving needs of the congregation and the community. Now, the collaboration with Youth Focus is giving the space a second life.
"We want our assets and our abundant resources to be utilized for the greatest community need and impact, and we think housing is absolutely one of the primary things on that list," Sherouse said. "One of the greatest commandments is to love your neighbor. And we believe that, and in real, practical and specific ways that we can do just that."
He continued, "Generally, we've got to do it in particular ways that meet, the urgent needs around us. One of those that is so clear in our community and intersects with just about every sector of social service and humanitarian aid here in Greensboro, is the need for housing."