<– Click to watch clips from our Start Above for Sindi!
Each year more than 25,000 youth age out of the foster care system in the United States. 40% will experience homelessness. 25% will be incarcerated. 54% will drop out of high school and less than 5% will earn a bachelor’s degree. Without the consistent family support to guide them as they transition into adulthood, they face innumerable obstacles.
Rise Above’s Start Above project provides a life-changing, positive opportunity to young adults aging out of foster care. Through the transformation of their first apartment, Start Above gives young adults apartment essentials, as well as hope. From pots and pans to towels and sheets, to a couch, kitchen table and art for the walls, Start Above helps youth get settled into their first apartment and make it a personalized space to call their own. After close and thoughtful planning with the young adult, Rise Above revamps their apartment in a single day.
Meet Beautifull, moved into her very first apartment earlier this year. As a busy freshman at Framingham State University, where she’s also on the women’s basketball team, her place still looked like she had just moved in. We loved adding personality to her home and creating special areas for her to study in and to make music in.
Meet Jenny, a nursing student who also works full-time as a phlebotomist. Jenny is passionate about helping others and loves to travel, and we loved giving her a space that she can love.
Meet Estrella who lives with her daughter in Worcester. She works full time for a human services nonprofit in the city. Check out this video to watch us completely change her space in a day.
Meet Sindi, a nursing student who goes to school and lives in Worcester. Watch this video to see how we transformed her space into a home that captures Sindi’s personality and is a home she can be proud to live in.
Meet Emily, who lives in an apartment in Worcester with her partner. Emily is a student at Bridgewater State University and is passionate about her job where she works with people with developmental disabilities. Check out our video for before and after images, a look inside the process and the transformation day, and the moment Emily see her new space.
Meet Tyanna, a sophomore at Fitchburg State University and is majoring in psychology and criminal justice. In addition to being a full-time student, she has two part-time jobs one of which is serving as a mentor to adults with intellectual disabilities. She lives in an apartment in Fitchburg with her two dogs.
Meet Quejanae, a rising junior at Fitchburg State University who’s majoring in psychology and criminal justice. In addition to being a full-time student, she has two part-time jobs, one of which is serving as a mentor to adults with intellectual disabilities. 
Want to get involved?
Buy an item off our Amazon Wish List that’s needed for our next Start Above project, or make a gift today.