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How The Foundling’s Supportive Housing Program Helped Ralph with Independence after Aging Out

Ralph with Tim Jefferson, the supervisor of our Supportive Housing Program, at the StoryCorps recording studio in Lower Manhattan.

 

About a year ago, during my first Foundling blog update, I was living in an apartment run by The New York Foundling’s Supportive Housing Program. I have since aged out of the program, and now I have my own apartment.

 

The feeling is bittersweet yet rewarding! I currently live in Midwood, Brooklyn, and absolutely love my neighborhood. I never imagined I would be able to afford an apartment in such a neighborhood, simply because growing up all I knew and saw was poverty-filled neighborhoods.

 

While living with The Foundling’s program, I was able to build upon my education, leadership skills, and people skills, all of which have allowed me to land a job working at Amazon, where I currently work in the AMZL shipping division. I am a Shift Lead. My sole role is to oversee the Prime Free Same-Day operation to ensure customers who ordered packages for same-day delivery in fact receive them that same day.

 

I love working at Amazon. This opportunity has allowed me to age out of care very swiftly. I am also currently enrolled in CUNY School of Professional Studies. I am finishing up my bachelor’s degree in Business online. My current plans for the future are to continue working at Amazon, but to build upon my credentials so I can be even more of an asset to the company.

 

I will forever be grateful for the opportunity awarded to me by The Foundling — to be a resident in the Supportive Housing Program. That opportunity has changed my life. I will forever be grateful for that opportunity, as I was a young kid on the verge of being homeless.

 

The above essay was written by Ralph, who was part of The Foundling’s Supportive Housing Program. Ralph interned with our Development department in the summer of 2017.

 

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