On January 22, Kentucky United Methodist Children’s Homes (KyUMH) officially expanded its residential services to support Kentucky youth and provide relief to the state foster care system.

KyUMH has added twelve beds at its independent living program in Lexington, which serves youth ages 17.5-20. Residents receive life skills training, mental health counseling, job readiness skills and education support.

Independent living programs are vital to youth aging out of foster care. They have limited options for where to live next, especially if they have intense mental and behavioral health challenges. Kentucky state auditor Allison Ball and the Office of the Ombudsman reported this week that 23 youth ages 16-20 were temporarily living in state office buildings between June and October 2024.

State officials have previously attributed these occurrences to a lack of foster families or other placements willing to accept youth with such high needs. KyUMH has a reputation for being one of the few places that will accept this population of young adults. “The state is needing more services for this level of care,” said Shannon Gillespie, Clinical Director for Independent Living. “KyUMH decided to expand our services to combat this need.”

At first, residents live in supervised apartments with staff offices just a few steps away before graduating to apartments dispersed throughout Lexington. KyUMH is one of only two organizations statewide that provide supervised site apartments. When the expansion is complete, KyUMH's independent living program will have a total capacity of forty young adults.

“Young people need guidance and support to become successful adults, no matter their backgrounds,” said Caitlin Foreman, Executive Director of Programs and Services. “They need family to fall back on when they encounter difficulties. These kids don’t have that, so we become their safety net.”

Foreman and other KyUMH staff see daily that as these youth build positive relationships, they begin to find healing and a path forward. When a resident leaves KyUMH to be fully independent, “they are empowered to explore opportunities and achieve goals they had previously considered unattainable,” said Foreman.

The proof is in the words of the youth themselves. “My life before KyUMH was very stressful,” a former resident said. “Now, I have learned so much and built so many bonds that I know I will keep for the rest of my life.”

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About the Kentucky United Methodist Children’s Homes

Originally founded 153 years ago as an orphanage, the Kentucky United Methodist Children’s Homes (KyUMH) mission is to serve Christ by providing for the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of children and families. Today, KyUMH offers a variety of community-based and residential programs to 1,900+ youth each year. Its vision is to be a preferred provider of services and a catalyst to make Kentucky the preferred place for children. For more information, visit kyumh.org

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