Robynes Nest
A Hand to Help Them Soar
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Robyne’s Nest was started seven years ago to bridge the gap of services that schools struggle to provide by giving at-risk and homeless youth with little to no parental support from local school districts, primarily in Huntington Beach, CA, ages 14-24, the funds, resources, and support they need to help them successfully complete high school and pursue college, trade school or military options. By giving access to our food pantry, educational and financial assistance, mental health therapy and counseling, transportation and housing resources, life coaching and life skills classes we hope to address the security and stability needs of identified students, issues that lead to low self-esteem and stigma. In addition, our mental health therapy program provides a better understanding of the traumas and life stresses that drive the anxiety disorders, stress, and depression we witness. Our overriding goal is to empower youth to become self-sufficient and succeed at all levels.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Housing
Transitional Housing: for those students who do not have safe, appropriate or reliable housing and who still need some adult guidance, Robyne’s Nest will place the student in a home that meets their needs. The transitional housing is meant to support a student up to 24 months depending on their age and situation. The support the student receives is designed to get them to a position that they are able to secure stable and permanent housing independently. A Housing Advisor is assigned to the student to come in weekly to help the student learn healthy independent living habits such as cleanliness and safety. Housing Assistance - This option is meant for the student who has “graduated” from Transitional Housing Program and is ready to be independent or for the student who is only in need of short term/supplemental financial support. In both situations the goal is to help the student as they become completely independent.
Living Stipend
Robyne's Nest created a living stipend program where eligible students are given a pre-set amount of grocery/gas gift cards and/or bus passes in exchange for maintaining or improving their grades and attendance. Stipends are given out monthly. Tracking ensures students are on target and enables a timely resolution of issues. The intent of this program is to enable the student to focus on classwork and finishing his/her diploma without needing to work on a full-time basis. This stipend helps provide for living expenses.
Mental Health
Robyne's Nest provides mental health therapy with a licensed psychologist or an LCSW, who has a background in youth and teen trauma, to all of our students for up to 18 months for free. Additional coverage is reviewed by our executive director if needed and depending on situation a copay is made by student. Students in the program are required to attend therapy.
College Stipend
Similar to a Scholarship, Robyne's Nest provides a stipend for students who continue on to college or trade school. This stipend helps pay for living and educational expenses. Most students are on a renewal system for up to 4 years ($4000).
Basic Needs
Basic Needs Assistance covers Food Pantries, basic clothing, toiletries, etc. Life skills education classes are offered focused on finance, health, employment, schooling, housing, and mental/emotional wellness. Transportation is provided through monthly bus passes, bikes with locks, skateboards, and volunteer background-checked transportation. We assist in finding alternative or additional social services and healthcare options to create a more stable life foundation for the future. Mentors are also used to help students navigate into adulthood. Assistance with typical senior activities such as pictures and prom is available.
Where we work
External reviews
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of high school seniors who graduate from high school on time
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Out-of-home youth, Homeless people, Low-income people, Victims of crime and abuse
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
100% of all seniors who stayed in Robyne's Nest program receiving wrap-around services graduated. This metric does not relate to one specific program.
Number of unaccoampanied high school students who received access to stable housing.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Out-of-home youth, Homeless people, Low-income people, Victims of crime and abuse
Related Program
Housing
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
These students received stable housing to finish high school or immediately after graduation once they turned 18.
Bags of groceries provided to low-income students per school year.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Basic Needs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These food bags are provided directly to schools to be distributed to those students that they know will be in need of food during school breaks due to the lack of free/reduce breakfast/lunch program.
Number of high school graduates who are persisting in college
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Adolescents, Homeless people, Low-income people, Victims of crime and abuse
Related Program
College Stipend
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Program students that are increasing their employment skills through post high school education in college, trade schools or military. This also includes those who have graduated from college.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
As it relates to housing, in the short term our goal is to provide safe, stable, and secure transitional housing in the Huntington Beach, CA area by purchasing a house for use by the students with adult supervision, and in three to five years purchase an apartment complex. This will allow us to provide our students a place to call home, teach them basic life skills, then move to the next level which will be a shared apartment with other students before they move to a more independent permanent housing arrangement.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
What we do:
• Provide a stable home environment through our transitional home program.
• Provide living resources through student housing and local programs.
• Provide life skills education classes to understand and handle life situations.
• Provide educational assistance and tutoring to enable students to succeed in school.
• Provide resources to ensure access to school requirements.
• Provide counseling and mental health therapy to help students work through issues.
• Provide life coaches to form positive relationships and to help create a path forward to self-sufficiency.
• Provide food, clothing, toiletries, school supplies, and gift-cards to meet basic needs.
• Provide transportation for school and work; bus passes, bicycles, and help with access to obtaining a driver’s license.
• Provide college stipends for graduating students to pursue college, trade, or military programs.
Provide long-term support as they build their life foundation.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Robyne’s Nest has a core team of volunteers who address the needs of homeless and at-risk high school students. We have a team of nine board members, and 20 dedicated volunteers who support various aspects of our programs. Volunteers work in these key areas:
• School Site Student Support
• Executive Assistant
• Office Administrator/Bookkeeper
• Volunteer Manager/coordinators
• Life Skills Education Coordinator
• Life Coach Program Coordinator
• College Stipend (Scholarship) Program Coordinator
• Donor Care Manager
• Donation/Pantry Coordinator
• Grant Writer
• Marketing Manager/coordinators
Social Media/Website Manager
Over the years we have worked hard to build strong, consistent community support, through both monetary and in-kind donations. We also conduct outreach in the form of grant proposals to local, state and national foundations in the areas of housing, mental health therapy, and in support of at-risk youth.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Reaching out for and accepting help is our students first show of strength. We have welcomed nine students since September of 2021, bringing the total number of active students to 49. In 2021, additional program updates are as follows by area:
Housing: 1148 nights of safe, secure housing were provided to students attending either high school or community college.
Office Pantry: 1,300 bags of food and over $20,000.00 in grocery gift cards to local students and their families.
High School Grab-n-Go Pantry: Robyne’s Nest supports seven local high schools with grab-n-go food staples.
Mental Health Therapy: Our mental health therapists have provided 706 hours of therapy to identified students, free of charge (individual, group and weekly therapy sessions).
Monthly Living Stipend: $842.00/average monthly stipend for basic necessities to students.
Life Skills Classes: Classes include personal finance, housing, transportation, nutrition and personal wellness, and job seeking skills.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Robynes Nest
Board of directorsas of 02/28/2024
Dick Deaner
Robyne's Nest
Term: 2021 - 2023
Robyne Wood
Robyne's Nest
Alex Alvarez
Owner, Advanced Tube Engineering
Morgan Smith
Huntington Beach Union High School District
Kirby Wood
FedEx
Elisabeth Hassanzadeh
Retired, Montessori Teacher
Patrica French
Retired, Boeing Project Manager
Dick Deaner
Retired, Project Manager
Lisa Farmer
Retired, Boeing Project Manager
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
Disability
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Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/29/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.