The HALO Foundation

The HALO Girls Home is a Transitional Living Program (TLP). This is an 18 month-long program that provides free housing for pregnant, parenting, and non-parenting youth ages 16-21 years old who are in homeless or high-risk situations. The goal of the HALO Girls Home is to help youth exit “crisis mode,” set long-term goals for themselves, and learn to live independently. 

This program provides children of parenting teens a safe and stable living environment and assistance in securing daycare. Youth who are accepted into the program are required to be enrolled in school and seek and obtain part-time employment while they are in school. Youth who have graduated from high school must either obtain full-time employment or start college classes.

Youth are required to participate in life-skills workshops, which are aimed at teaching them how to live independently. Parenting youth are required to take weekly parenting classes. HALO staff work with youth on 5 main focus areas: Daily Living, Self Care, Relationships and Communication, Housing and Money Management, and Career and Education. Each youth meets weekly with HALO Staff to work on their goals and assess their progress throughout the program.

2020 Highlights:
37 Girls and Their Dependents Served
262 Recreational Activities Offered
117 Weekly Goals Meetings Facilitated
145 Goals Set by Residents Reached
66 Daily Life Skill Program Days
30 Girls Employed
31 High School Graduates will 11 choosing to enroll in University or Trade Schools

HALO supports youth homes and programs in Uganda, Kenya, Mexico and India. This includes providing food, water, shelter, clothing, education, therapeutic art, caretakers, and vocational training or college for youth in the greatest need.

India Program Description:
HALO supports 45 children at the Ashirvad Orphanage in Tuni, India. Many of the children residing at Ashirvad have not been able to stay with family due to severe poverty, illness, and/or the death of a parent or guardian. Many of the youth at this home lost family members from the 2004 tsunami that ravaged the nearby coast. HALO has been providing food, water, clothing, shelter, caretakers, therapeutic art and education to these children since 2006. In addition to providing basic needs, HALO has granted several scholarships to eligible youth from Ashirvad to attend vocation training or University over the years. Several youth have graduated and have entered the community as a contributing member, now able to provide care for themselves and their families. in 2020, HALO provided seven scholarships to the youth of Ashirvad.

Kenya Program Description:
HALO began working in Kenya in 2007 and currently supports two homes in the Nanyuki area. The Timau Home is located in the mountains of Kenya and houses 28-30 boys. The boys have become brothers while living in the home and consider HALO their family. The nearby Baraka Home houses 28-32 youth who have also become like brothers and sisters. Prior to HALO, thirteen youth from the Baraka Home were sleeping on the floor of mud huts until HALO was able to provide full support of the home. Many of the youth living in these homes have lost parents to the AIDS epidemic, and have been effected by extreme poverty.

HALO meets the basic needs of youth in the Timau and Baraka Homes including food, water, clothing, shelter, caretakers, education and art programming. In addition to meeting the basic needs of these youth HALO provides vocational or University scholarships to eligible youth. Vocational training or University provides youth in the HALO Kenya homes the tools they need to become contributing members of their communities.

Mexico Program Description:
Lily of the Valley was the first HALO-supported orphanage, and has had a relationship with this home since 2004. HALO provides the children of this home with tuition for education, school uniforms, art therapy and other needs. This orphanage houses anywhere from 65 to 110 children from the streets of Tijuana each year, with a focus on youth who have been victims of sexual abuse. Once youth are eligible, HALO provides scholarships to the youth of Lily of the Valley to attend vocational training or University.

Additional Research Sites Description:
HALO continually conducts research on current HALO sites and potential future sites for programming. We conduct research in areas based on need and in conjunction with partner or potential partner organizations. In the past, HALO has worked in and conducted extensive research in Central America, specifically Nicaragua and Guatemala. HALO also conducts extensive research in East Africa and plans to develop programming in these areas when growth opportunities arise. In 2018, HALO served 60 children in Mexico, 45 children in India, 43 children in Kenya and 353 children in Uganda.

As a part of HALO's overarching goal of holistic development, The HALO Learning Center Uganda provides a collaborative space for HALO Ugandan youth to gather, learn, teach, grow and flourish. As Uganda continues to develop and advance as a country, HALO youth are increasingly experiencing issues similar to those of American inner city youth. Through our domestic Learning Center programming in the US, we have seen the difference that after school programming can make for a child and expanded this opportunity Internationally. The Learning Center Uganda serves as a space for youth to explore their passions and become engaged in safe and fun activities beyond the traditional classroom. Classes and workshops offered include health, professional development, computer training, art, dance, culinary arts, sewing and cosmetology. The Learning Center Uganda also provides opportunities for individualized tutoring, counseling and the opportunity for youth to enroll in an on-site cosmetology certification program. The HALO Learning Center Uganda has become an essential component to our programming and a place where HALO Uganda youth can thrive. In 2020, HALO served 1,384 youth at the Center.

Learn more at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMnKbvq9JnE

The HALO Jefferson City Boys program is a safe place of healing and hope and puts at-risk and homeless teen boys on a path to a positive future. Through tutoring, connecting with male role models, life skill development, healthy relationship building, and recreational activities, these boys have the potential to do great things in our community.

This program takes place in a home surrounded by 6 acres of land and connects male teens to resources year-round, provides a home cooked meal and is open during the after-school hours of Monday-Thursday 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. and hosts Summer activities.

To date, this program has served over 20 youth in need.