Mari entered the foster care system at just 9 years old when she was removed from her mother’s care. She was put in an emergency foster home before being placed with her father and his girlfriend. Mari’s dad had not been in the picture prior to this placement, and she felt like she was living with a stranger. Although things with Mari’s father were manageable for a while, his home quickly became unstable and unsafe.

Mari spent the next 11 years unstably housed due to custody battles and unsafe circumstances. Her mother and father both struggled to maintain their own stability which, as a result, affected hers.

In one instance when Mari was placed back in her mother’s custody, things were incredibly difficult. Mari’s school found out they were living in the woods, and Mari was removed once again and placed in another foster home. However, she was returned to her mother’s custody shortly after.

Her father’s home continued to be unsafe due to his ongoing associations with a family friend whose past actions had a significant negative impact on her well-being. In 2020, she entered the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) voluntarily in an attempt to advocate for herself and maintain some stability.

As Mari got older, she struggled significantly with her mental health. She knew this was something more than traditional anxiety and depression and spent months working with different doctors to find answers.

Mari was diagnosed with bipolar-1 disorder and began a path to treatment. As Mari started to focus on her future, she realized that because she had little to no contact with her parents and no family in the area, she didn’t have anyone she could turn to for guidance or advice. Mari was about to graduate from high school and had no one to help bridge the gap as she transitioned to adulthood. She asked DCF for additional support and that’s when she learned about the Youth Villages LifeSet program.

Mari wanted help setting and keeping track of her goals and navigating her environment and community resources. She wanted someone who could help keep her mental health on track and an advocate who could help her find the right medication combination for her bipolar disorder.

Mari met her LifeSet Specialist Theresa, and they connected immediately. Mari was thrilled to finally have someone in her corner she could trust and who had her best interest at heart.

Together, Mari and Theresa worked on getting her learner’s permit, budgeting her time and budgeting her income, and finding safe and stable housing.

“Mari is her own biggest advocate,” Theresa said. “She can do anything she puts her mind to. If I say, ‘this week you’re going to find an apartment,’ she does it.”

Today, at age 21, Mari is still in custody of the DCF. Since graduating from high school in 2022, her focus has been advocating for young adults to find secure and safe housing.

Mari works part time for a nonprofit organization as a lived experience advocate for housing justice and is currently enrolled in college. Once she graduates, she wants to become a social worker and full-time advocate for young adults, helping them to find the resources and support she lacked when she needed them most.

“Once I became an adult, I realized there is a huge lack of support for people like me,” Mari said. “LifeSet is a pipeline to so many great things.”

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