KEY to Succeed

Youth homelessness is disturbingly common. In fact, the average age of a homeless person in America is 9 years old. That’s why HEP is putting greater emphasis on after school youth enrichment programs - to combat the effect of homelessness on children. In addition to providing the basics a family needs upon entering the shelter, school age children are being empowered through the “KEY” to Succeed program (Keep Encouraging Youth), which is broad in scope, highly educational, and most importantly…fun!

The mission of the KEY to Succeed program is to provide academic enrichment and other services and programs that reinforce and complement school-based learning among participants. The primary purposes of the program are as follows:

• Provide out-of-school time opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services to help homeless and transitional students meet state and local performance standards in core academic subjects such as Mathematics, Reading and Language Arts.

• Offer students a broad array of additional out-of-school time services, programs, and activities—youth development activities; drug- and violence-prevention programs; counseling programs; art, music, and recreation programs; technology education programs; and character education programs.

• Provide career counseling, college preparatory services, and follow-up counseling for older students and youth leaving HEP and/or graduating from high school to promote the pursuit of higher education
  
  In partnership with the Biddinger Family Foundation, Woman Who Care and Pinellas County Schools, among many other organizations, the program is helping homeless youth succeed against great odds.