Pilot Program Aims to Address Unresolved Grief Among Homeless Youth
Contact: Meghan Reinold
Tu Nidito Children and Family Services
520-322-9155
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARIZONA, April 4, 2024 — Tu Nidito Children and Family Services, a nonprofit that aims to create a community of acceptance and understanding for those grieving a serious medical condition or death, announced today that they received a $25,000 Community Impact Grant from New York Life. The grant will support a pilot program in partnership with Our Family Services, another local nonprofit focused on tackling homelessness, aimed at addressing unresolved grief among youth in the homeless community.
The pilot will provide peer grief support groups for youth ages 12-17 experiencing homelessness. It is a collaboration between Tu Nidito Children and Family Services and Our Family Services. The pilot will offer five cohorts. Sessions will move youth through grief activities designed to address traumatic death loss. Participation is intended to lower feelings of anger and increase feelings of resiliency leading to improved mental health.
“We are honored to receive this grant to address the needs of youth experiencing homelessness in partnership with Our Family,” says Liz McCusker, Executive Director of Tu Nidito. “Together we will support youth in understanding and processing how grief has impacted their lives, assisting them in moving forward with less anger and isolation.”
Colleen McDonald, Chief Program Officer at Our Family Services elaborates: “Our services for young people center around trauma informed care; by adding a grief support element through this partnership with Tu Nidito, I believe it will help build resiliency with these youth by addressing traumatic grief and death.”
New York Life agent and Tu Nidito board member Supriya Bakshi continues: “I am grateful for the support of New York Life to help further the mission of Tu Nidito, an organization I passionately support. I look forward to following the progress of the pilot program and continuing the partnership between New York Life and Tu Nidito.”
The Community Impact Grant program awards grants of up to $25,000 to local nonprofit organizations, which are championed by New York Life agents and employees. Since the program’s inception in 2008, 850 grants totaling more than $12 million have been awarded to nonprofits across the country.
Tu Nidito is a safe place where children, teens, young adults and caregivers find comfort, hope and support while they are grieving the diagnosis of a serious medical condition or the death of a loved one. All programs are offered in English and Spanish, at no cost to children and families. For more information, please visit www.tunidito.org.
Our Family’s mission is to eliminate homelessness and strengthen our community. This is done by providing stability in times of crisis, linking people to support and resources, supporting social connections, engaging our neighbors to tackle tough community issue and acknowledging and combating systemic inequities through policies and advocacy. For more information, please visit www.ourfamilyservices.org