08.04.2021
Celebrating the Little Wins With Just-In-Time-Funding and Driver’s Assistance
Part of supporting youth in foster care means offering support in the day-to-day activities that are essential to any youth’s life. Two Treehouse programs, Just-In-Time Funding and Driver’s Assistance, offer financial assistance to contribute to youth getting to experience these childhood milestones. Read on to see the kinds of things our youth have been up to over the last few months.
Just-In-Time Funding
A caregiver submitted a taekwondo request for a Treehouse youth and shared this: “[Youth} struggles with body awareness and PTSD symptoms. As part of her therapy, she has mentioned the dream of being able to defend herself against the people who have hurt her in the past. We would love to help her accomplish the goal of empowerment and help improve the above symptoms and have fun.”
We are excited to be able to fund requests like this for the youth we serve!
One of our youth raised their grades from barely passing to almost all A’s and became eligible to play for their school’s football team. We provided funding for their cleats, gloves and other equipment. Their caregiver sent us this note: “[Youth] will be thrilled to get the stuff he needs to play football on a team for the very first time!”
One of our youth had been doing therapeutic horseback riding for a few months when he lost funding to continue participating. His YMCA case manager submitted a Treehouse Just-in-Time Funding request so he could continue attending: “One of our teens placed with us at the Y has been doing therapeutic horseback riding for a few months now, and it has done wonders for his self-esteem and responsible living skills. It has given him a sense of purpose and joy that has transferred into other areas of life.
Since starting horseback riding, we’ve seen this youth more engaged in therapy sessions, meetings with his team and education. Notably, he shared with his case manager: ‘This is finally an activity I enjoy that’s not video games! You guys always ask me about my goals. Well, one of my goals is to volunteer here one day.’”
A youth was failing math. We launched the CARES Project and the youth reached out for tutoring support. The youth was thrilled to hear that Treehouse was able to pay for 2 months of tutoring to help with grade improvement.
A youth recently got accepted to University of Washington and we paid for the admissions fees. She said she was so grateful for the support of Treehouse so she can continue on with her dreams.
Through our Just-in-Time Funding program, we provide funding for one of our youth to take riding lessons at a local farm each week, and she plans on continuing to take lessons until she goes to college in the fall. She is also volunteering at the farm, as she works toward her long-term career goal of becoming a vet and working with horses.
One of our Launch Success participants is attending college while also taking care of her newborn. She earned a 3.9 GPA and was invited to join a honors society! Treehouse was able to help her pay the joining fees and purchased her a graduation cord and stole to make her upcoming graduation feel extra special.
A Launch Success participant and her young daughter recently moved, and she realized she did not have birth certificates for herself or her daughter. Treehouse helped with the cost of the birth certificates so that she can apply for more local resources, including a baby closet with clothes and diapers for her daughter.
Driver’s Assistance
One of our Driver’s Assistance participants had to change insurance companies due to cost before their renewal date came up at the end of the month. They ended up making a payment of over $400 to start a new policy. They received a partial reimbursement for their monthly premium from their previous insurer, and they directed these funds to their new auto insurance policy. However, this still left them with an out-of-pocket cost of over $280.
After reviewing their current eligibility status with our program and calculating all fees incurred, our team was able to approve and process a check for reimbursement to the youth, and she is now excited to drive safely on the road with continued support from Treehouse for their auto insurance coverage. She reached out to say: “Thank you so much!”
We provide AAA memberships to eligible youth in our Driver’s Assistance program. One of our Launch Success participants had to use his AAA membership earlier this year when he purchased a car and the engine blew. AAA was able to tow the car free of charge! The participant told us he wants us to know how much he appreciates AAA.
One of our Graduation Success participants had their Treehouse Education Specialist submit a Driver’s Assistance request for driver’s education courses. Our team was able to process a payment of over $500 to start their traffic safety courses. When the request was approved the Education Specialist shared: “This opportunity is really and seriously, potentially LIFE CHANGING for this youth! LIFE CHANGING! Thank you! ❤️”
Looking for other ways to assist youth in your community? Consider hosting a Back-to-School drive or contributing to our wishlist!
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About the Author
Linsey is the Marketing and Communications Intern at Treehouse. She is a graduate student at Seattle Pacific University, where she is studying to become a Marriage and Family Therapist with a focus on adolescents and young adults.