Powerhouse NYC

Description

We are a team of young women who have witnessed the results of teen pregnancy and homelessness in our daily lives. Our mission is to create a residential program for homeless teen mothers in Elmhurst, Queens. We have won an $11,000 seed grant in the NYU and Youth Venture "Be a Changemaker Challenge" to support our idea for this housing program, but we need more help.

The program, Powerhouse NYC (preivously Baby’s First Home (BFH)), will be a supportive housing unit for 5 mothers (17-21) and their children. We have a 6-unit building in Queens that will provide shelter to 5 families and a live-in social worker. By offering counseling services, educational and vocational training, entrepreneurial ventures, health education, and other supportive services, we plan to help mothers build independent lives and stable futures for themselves and their children upon completion of our program. We hope to reduce homelessness and poverty for a targeted group of women and children.

BFH recognizes that there is a distressed population of young women with children who are no longer welcome in their family homes, have aged out of foster care, and are left to support themselves and provide for their child(ren) without the tools to do so. As shelter and food are their main priority, they often drop out of school and work low-income jobs just to survive. As a result, they end up struggling to survive for the rest of their lives.

As a youth-led organization we need a lot of help, advice, and expertise to accomplish our mission. We have received incredible support from the NYU community. We have the building, some seed money, and great advisors, but this is not enough. This project requires large scale fundraising and a lot more help. With your help, we can reach out to a greater network of people.



For more information: http://www.nyu.edu/public.affairs/releases/detail/2066