Shiloh House’s Beyond the Walls (BTW) program does an amazing job working with youth and young people as they transition out of the foster care system and into an independent, successful next stage of their life. But what does this process look like? We talked to one of our BTW coaches, Matt Kilian, to learn more about what the day-to-day looks like in this program from his perspective as an Independent Living Coach.
“I help coordinate services for BTW youth in the Denver Metro area, primarily for youth living in Arapahoe and Douglas counties. This includes facilitating independent living skills groups, workshops like financial literacy or mock interviews, and planning reality tours.
I also meet with youth one-on-one in the community to help them obtain their state ID, locate and gain employment, apply for college and figure out how to pay for school. One of the coolest parts about my role as an Independent Living Coach is that I get to meet youth where they are at–whether it’s at their house or the coffee shop down the street–and provide the support they need. When meeting with them, I help figure out all of the possible options they have for realizing their goals and then they get to pick which option is the best for them.
One of the biggest barriers we face is housing. With the Denver Metro area being expensive, when a youth we’re working with gets their own apartment it is a great day! Some have never had their own apartment, so when they sign a lease and move into their own own one-bedroom unit, it’s a great feeling for everyone involved. They get to decide when the lights go off, they get to decide who comes to visit, and they get to decide what is made for dinner that night. There is truly so much power in making those decisions, and you can really see the growth that occurs almost immediately upon moving in!”