Most of us have places that feel like ours even though we do not live or work there. It may be a relative’s kitchen, a church fellowship hall, a favorite coffee shop, or a friend’s living room. These “third spaces” give us somewhere to connect, exhale, and belong.
Young adults who have experienced foster care need those places, too. Yet many have spent years interacting with systems, offices, placements, and programs. A space can unintentionally feel institutional when what a young person needs is the warmth and ease of a home.
The Landing was created to offer something different: a welcoming, permanent gathering place for young adults in Fostering Hope’s community. It is a place to drop in, spend time with trusted adults and peers, share meals, join group activities, and develop everyday rhythms of connection.
Belonging is not a decorative extra. It affects whether a young person feels comfortable asking for help, returning after a difficult week, or allowing relationships to deepen. A home-like environment communicates that young adults are more than appointments on a calendar. They are valued members of a community.
The Landing also creates room for the ordinary experiences through which relationships grow. Conversations happen while preparing food. Trust develops over games and shared activities. A coordinator may notice a need that would never surface in a formal meeting. Young adults can spend time together without every gathering having to revolve around a crisis.
The name reflects what we hope the space will become: somewhere to arrive, regroup, and know that you are welcome. It is not an endpoint. It is a steady place from which young adults can continue moving toward education, employment, healthy relationships, parenting goals, and greater independence.
Community support helps turn a building into a place of belonging. Whether through furnishings, household items, volunteer time, shared meals, or financial gifts, each contribution helps young adults know there is a place, and a community—ready to receive them.