Landlord-Tenant Sessions

Pathfinders’ services are uniquely effective because we’re able to provide long-term support in addition to housing youth and ensuring that their basic needs are met. Our approach is to help quickly and thoroughly until young people find independence. 

Our Supported Housing team exemplifies this strategy with their Landlord-Tenant Sessions, which teach young people how to set boundaries, maintain healthy and safe home environments, navigate relationships with landlords and more. Since these groups started, young people in our housing program have passed every housing inspection with flying colors. And, they’ve requested more sessions like them!

The most recent sessions centered “The Company You Keep”. Our housing team taught youth about the importance of finding individual stability before stretching themselves to help others. As our housing specialist Derek Scruggs put it, “youth have a hard time saying no to others who were there for them when they were homeless or who were homeless with them.” It’s an incredibly hard and complicated boundary to set, which is why talking it through in an empathetic space has proven so valuable.

In addition to teaching young people how to take care of themselves first, the sessions focus on the importance of self-discovery, of learning who they are when they’re alone and not in survival-mode, of finding peace within themselves. These lessons not only help our young people fortify their self-confidence and self-sufficiency but put them in a position to care for others. And, as we’ve seen time and time again, some of our young people’s greatest advocates are their peers.

With the positive feedback and participation from our young people, we have high hopes for the many life skills groups we have on the horizon. They are certainly one of our favorite ways to empower youth and change lives!