The AFG Shelter provides a safe, stable living and learning environment for homeless young women (ages 16-21) who are not being served by the foster care or judicial systems.

Facility

The current AFG Shelter was built in 2002 to address the growing need of homeless young women in metro Detroit. It can house up to 35 young women and up to 10 of their children at any given time. The shelter is organized into three wings: one for minors, one for residents with children, and a third for adults. Resembling a college residence hall, the shelter is laid out into suites, with two modest rooms on either side of a shared bathroom. Two residents share each room. In the family wing, mother and child reside together. The shelter also includes a commercial kitchen, a laundry room and a recreation/activity room. In 2007, a Bright Space will be added to the shelter. Funded by the Bright Spaces Foundation, this playroom is designed especially for homeless children.

Transition to Independent Living Program (TIL)

Young women in residence beyond two weeks must enter the TIL Program. TIL requires residents to be enrolled in an education program (i.e., General Equivalency Diploma, vocational/technical program; two- or four-year college or university), to engage in counseling to address personal and family issues and challenges; to prepare for, seek and obtain employment; and to participate in programming to develop or strengthen life skills (e.g., financial literacy, healthful meal planning and shopping, and successful parenting and nurturing).

Fast Facts

The AFG Shelter:

• Is staffed by a director, an associate director, resident advisors, case planners and curriculum coordinators who counsel residents and help them acquire the skills they need to lead independent, productive and fulfilling lives.
• Provided 8,909 Nights of Care to homeless young women and their children during the last fiscal year.
• Provided services to 145 young women and 30 children during the last fiscal year.
• Provides after-care services to former residents for up to 18 months after they exit the shelter.
• Provides a curriculum-based parenting/nurturing program for pregnant and parenting young women called Project: MOMMA.
• Enlists volunteer foster grandparents to help provide child care for parenting residents while they participate in programming.

Partners

The AFG Shelter is supported in part by:

• Bank One
• City of Detroit
• Christ Church Cranbrook
• Christ Church Grosse Pointe
• Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan
• MI DHS
• ESG
• FEMA
• Forgotten Harvest
• Gannett Foundation
• HUD
• Junior League of Detroit
• McGregor Fund
• Metro Health Foundation
• Michigan Women’s Foundation
• The Skillman Foundation
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation

For more information, please contact:

Patricia Swift, MSW
Director, AFG Shelter
Phone: (313) 361-4000
Fax: (313) 361-8938
E-mail: pswift@alternativesforgirls.org