Dreaming on Troost

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This was three decades before many of the kids who call Community LINC home were born, and five decades before some of them will enter adulthood. Dr. King’s dream was to see America treat its African-American citizens equal. His dream forges the dreams of kids at Community LINC. Maybe they do not realize it. Prior to the civil rights movement, African-American kids lived in a world where they were second class citizens and their educational and job opportunities were limited based upon the color of their skin. Fifty years after the civil rights movement, kids of all ethnicities and socio-economic statuses still dream. They dream of being mechanical engineers who design cars. They dream of owning their own businesses. They dream of being fashion designers who set the trends for a culture. They dream of being lawyers who make a difference in the justice system. They dream of becoming politicians who seek to make positive changes in laws. They dream of being people who are positive, productive, and self-sufficient citizens of a country that once enslaved their ancestors.

Dr. King’s speech challenged the unwritten laws of the land, and challenged the government to write new laws. More importantly his speech changed they way we think as a society. His speech and the movement for equality, which should have been granted all along, affords kids who live at Community LINC the opportunity to dream rather than succumb to predefined roles in our society based upon prejudices. Community LINC kids face the challenge of not always knowing what steps to take to make their dreams reality. Many times they lack the knowledge on how to secure resources for college, or connections with people who can guide them through the daunting process of making their dream a reality. It is helpful to talk them through the college application process. This gives them confidence when they step onto the campus to apply for college. Kids need to be mentored in the things adults sometimes take for granted: writing a résumé, how to behave during a job interview, how to navigate the halls of a college campus, how to cope with loss, or how to determine the Metro Bus routes. They also need to be mentored in attaining their dreams. Having a dream to be a biological scientist who desires to research medical cures is only one part of a large equation. Community LINC kids need to know what steps they must take to attain their personal goals. They need the encouragement, counsel, and advice of parents and adult mentors around them to assist them in realizing their dreams. You could be the one who helps them achieve their dreams.

Learn how to become a volunteer at Community LINC: http://communitylinc.org/Volunteer/default-volunteer.html

- Joel Paul, Community LINC houseparent

A Teen's Perspective

Each month we evaluate success stories - what caused a family’s homelessness, the changes that were made to end their homelessness and the ultimate successes that followed - all from the parent’s perspective. This month, we decided to shift our focus just a bit to a teen’s perspective.

In a recent Teen Life Skills class, they were asked to give their definition of change. Here are some of their answers:


“Change means to start over. Make new. It makes your life better.”




”It means coming out of the old to the new.”




”When I think of change, my mother comes to mind.”




”It means to do something for a difference. I am getting good grades!!”




”It’s doing something that will take you out of your comfort zone. My mama is getting her life together and I used to have a I don’t care attitude about everything.”


”Change is something I hate and it sometimes makes me uncomfortable. I’m not ready to move and I think we should wait until we finish a whole year.”


”Change means that you don’t do anything that you use to, because you know you can do better and need to. When I think of change, what comes to mind is doing whatever it takes to stop doing the bad and achieve your goals.”


The concept of change can be daunting for anyone, but if our teens can grasp its impact then they have the primary tool necessary for breaking the cycle of generational poverty and living lives of self-sufficiency.