Were you ready to be out on your own at age 18? No one is, really. Yet, if you are a Maine foster child, that’s what’s expected of you.
How do you find an apartment? How do you buy a vehicle? How do you get utilities connected? How is all of this funded? How do you open a bank account?
These are all questions that Ashley Pesek, a foster mom of teenagers, and Jessica Valdez, executive director of Community Compass, have gotten from Blue Hill Peninsula teens who have been separated from their families of origin.
To help adolescents on the peninsula, Pesek, with help from Community Compass and its donors, had a tiny home installed on her property for her adolescent foster children to use as a private residence once they turn 18 and prepare to leave her nest.
The tiny house, installed in October 2020, has been used by two young people already.
The Peseks’ foster daughter, Crystal, was the first to use the tiny home after giving birth. She’s now out working and living on her own with her child in an apartment.
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