Southern Delaware gets its first supportive housing program for foster youth aging out: ‘It’s not a facility, it’s a home’

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At 18 years old, most young people are just beginning to explore their independence, juggling first jobs, college classes or learning how to pay rent with family support acting as a safety net below them.

But for young people aging out of the foster care system, turning 18 can feel like falling off a cliff.

One day they’re in state care. The next, they’re on their own. No parents to call, no home to go back to and often no stable place to sleep. Many are left facing homelessness, uncertainty and a world that expects them to survive adulthood without the tools to do so.

“At this stage, there are generally anywhere from 60 to about 100 or so youth who are aging out of the foster care system in Delaware every year,” said Stacy Shamburger, director of the Lifelines program at West End Neighborhood House. “Most of those youth are aging out into what’s considered homelessness. So whether that is literal homelessness or chronic homelessness, we work towards stabilizing those youth.”

In Southern Delaware’s Sussex County, that kind of support simply didn’t exist.

That changed last month.

A yearslong goal becomes a reality

One June 9, West End Neighborhood House opened the doors to a newly renovated 10-bedroom, 10-bath supportive housing home straddling in the line between Greenwood and Harrington – the first of its kind in Sussex County. Surrounded by 10 acres of farmland, the home offers privacy, peace and, most importantly, permanence.

“Our goal would be to just continue doing what we’re doing and providing safe, affordable, accessible housing for, not only youth that are aging out of foster care, but unaccompanied youth also,” she said.

The new facility was years in the making. West End, which already offers 43 supportive housing beds in New Castle County, has long wanted to bring its services south.

“Sussex County, as many of us know, has not always been at the top of the list in regards to showing favor for resources,” Schamburger said. “We wanted to make sure that our youth who currently live downstate are able to remain downstate. Not only does that help them stay connected to the potential family that they have, it also allows them to stay connected to the current resources that they utilize and to stay in a familiar location and hopefully maintain friendships that they’ve already built.”

City life can be a culture shock

Without local options, many Sussex County youth have been forced to relocate to Wilmington or New Castle, a move that can be overwhelming for someone unfamiliar with the city or public transit.

“A lot of the times youth who are growing up downstate don’t always fare well in the city,” Schamburger said. “They sometimes have never ridden public transportation before, and navigating not only the social context construct, but the geographical construct of the city is just something that can be extremely overwhelming to an already overwhelming situation.”

The new house is designed to ease that transition – or better yet, prevent displacement altogether.

What makes this home different

The 10-bedroom home was once a bed and breakfast. Now, each resident has their own room and private bathroom – an intentional design choice.

“The home provides our youth a level of dignity,” Schamburger said. “It hopefully will provide a level of peace because it is actually on 10 acres of farmland … So hopefully there will be some peace that comes along with that.”

Beyond a place to stay, West End offers wraparound services that include life skills training, mental health support, job readiness workshops, educational guidance and help with basic needs like food, transportation and laundry.

“We meet our youth where they are,” Schamburger said. “Some of our youth are already in higher education, some of them are just working towards a GED or a high school diploma. So we’re all over the place.”

Statewide vision and pride

Though the house isn’t fully occupied yet, a waitlist already exists. The organization hopes to welcome its first residents in the coming weeks, once furnishing is complete. The goal is to not only fill this house — but grow into Kent County in the future.

“I would love for us to be able to expand into Kent County also,” Schamburger said. “Becoming a fully statewide program that provides this level of service — I think is something that the state needs. It’s something our youth needs.”

And while some might call West End’s sites “facilities,” Schamburger is quick to correct them.

“We provide homes. And each of our youth are able to really kind of customize at least their bedrooms — if not their home — to be able to make it feel like that. And they deserve that,” she said. “So we provide them with homes.”