TRANSITIONS TO ADULTHOOD Passing from adolescence into adulthood is a challenging time for everyone, and these years can be even tougher for young adults with emotional or behavioral difficulties. Education, employment, housing, and engagement in community living pose particular hardships for these teenagers. Services in Orange and Chatham County have been limited over the years, and The Community Backyard has been working with our partners to fill this gap. Housing Opportunities in Orange and Chatham Counties With the financial support of OPC Mental Health, Concern of Durham has joined our community to provide a network of housing alternatives for young adults as they approach independence. Currently under the expert direction of Gail Yashar, Concern of Durham has worked for more than 30 years on programs that provide youth with residential and clinical services in Durham and surrounding counties. In addition to these core services, the organization also provides troubled adolescents with the necessary skills to successfully live on their own. Concern’s approach emphasizes the acquisition of emotional, intellectual and physical life skills that promote self-responsibility and self-sufficiency. Learn more about Concern of Durham at: http://www.concernofdurham.org National Experts on Transition Services for Young Adults Hewitt “Rusty” Clark, Ph. D. The recognized “guru” of transitional services for youth, Clark is Professor in the Department of Child & Family Studies of Florida Mental Health Institute at University of South Florida in Tampa. Professor Clark has pioneered the Transition to Independence Process, the gold standard in the field. His Center at the University has a comprehensive web site with valuable resources and information for professionals, families, and teenagers: http://tip.fmhi.usf.edu/statement.html Nancy Carter As Program Coordinator for Independent Living Resources, Inc., Carter has helped to develop state of the art materials on adolescent independent living. In addition, she consults and trains extensively in all fifty states on the federally funded adolescent independent living programming that began in 1987. Her work is about practical skill building and program implementation, and the web site of the organization offers an enormous array of useful tools and references: http://www.ilrinc.com Home • Who We Are • What We Do • Resources • Publications • Contact Us The Community Backyard is a program of Mental Health Association of Orange County (MHA), a 501c-3 non-profit organization. The Community Backyard • The Veneable Building • 302 W. Weaver Street • Carrboro, NC • 27510 919-942-8083 • bguthrie@mhaoc.com