Aaminah and Daliyah have both lived at YES before – for Aaminah this is her second stay at the shelter and for Daliyah this is her third. They came to YES to get away from the abuse and neglect they suffered at home. After leaving, they found that other programs didn’t really understand what they needed. In the midst of this chaos they’ve found a home, albeit a temporary one, back at YES.
Daliyah explains, “If I wasn’t here, I’d be in a bad place – homeless, walking the streets by myself. But here I eat, I have activities, it’s better than being out there and not knowing what’s going to happen to you.” Aaminah agrees: “Thank goodness I’m here and not somewhere else – what if I was homeless? I have other options, but this was my best one in terms of my long-term goals of living independently and going to college.”
Aaminah and Daliyah have a lot to look forward to: Aaminah will soon begin her studies at Community College of Philadelphia and plans to take life skills classes required to move into a supervised independent living program. Daliyah is a gifted author and poet working towards her GED with the goal of attending college as a Creative Writing major. Both see YES as a central step in their path to a healthy and successful life.
Be a part of their story: make a donation to YSI today and support young people like Aaminah and Daliyah who are using YES as a launching pad to a better future.