Nearly three years after the Chippewa County Family Project’s Teen Home first broke ground in Sault Ste. Marie, donations are needed for its grand opening.
“The teen foster home is in its final stages of licensing before we can officially open the doors,” said Mary Jo DuVall, project board member. “Staff have been hired and an opening day will be announced soon.”
Its board has already hired 12 group home workers and one director to facilitate, supervise and support male and female teenagers ages 13 through 18-years-old and/or through college in certain situations.
“We will be working with the Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Sault Tribe, and Bay Mills Indian Community because we will be able to take children from all over the Eastern Upper Peninsula,” said DuVall. “There was a group of people who realized how many teenagers are out there couch surfing, without a place to go. If they are in the foster care system, a lot of them are being shipped down state. There were no homes in this area. So, Tracey (Holt) and the group of people got together to form this board.”
Fighting through COVID and regulatory changes over the past few years, the project's licensed Child Caring Institute (CCI) has successfully gained Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) certification.
“When we were just about one month into having our license, the federal guidelines changed,” Chippewa County Family Project Tracey Holt said. “Everybody had to be accredited in order to be licensed. Typically, it is the other way around. You get your license and then you become accredited.”
But the project’s end goal has remained unchanged. The home will provide youth with the safe and comfortable living environment necessary for individual success and family reunification.
“We just want to give them a home-like environment with all the same opportunities,” said DuVall.
She led a small tour around the living facility.
Girls will be housed on one side of the 6,000 Sq. Ft. home and six boys on the other. There are eight bedrooms total, four on one side and four on the other. Each side has two double occupancy and two single bedrooms and one master bedroom.
Every bedroom comes equipped with its own television, dressers and closet space. No one seems to know what the master bedrooms will be used for just yet. It will depend on residential needs once the house is occupied.
There is one bathroom downstairs and one upstairs on each side of the house.
“This is the kitchen,” DuVall said, entering a large space on the boy’s side of the structure. “We will be having the kids work on life skills. They will learn to cook for themselves, do laundry, and all that fun stuff.”
She wandered around the corner to the first floor living room. Next to it was a separate room with a desk.
“We have a little office here so they can do their homework if they want to,” said DuVall, before walking upstairs to show-off the second floor living room.
The girls side of the house was decorated slightly more than the boys side, but occupants will be allowed to decorate within reason.
Outside, licensed drivers may park in the structure’s side by side double car garages.
Feel free to help by browsing, shopping and ordering from the Chippewa County Family Project Teen Home Amazon Wish List.
An official opening date is coming soon...
