TOLEDO, Ohio — An estimated 4.2 million kids and young adults in the U.S. experience homelessness every year, according to the National Conference of State Legislators. In Lucas County, one young nonprofit is working to curb this epidemic in Toledo's inner city by connecting youth in need with necessary resources.
Fonda Royster, founder of Open Arms Transformation Living, has been in the social work field for more than 20 years. She started the nonprofit to right the wrongs of her own past, as she dealt with a mother who wasn't supportive of her in her early childhood and knows what it's like to not have a consistently present parent from the start.
She said the idea for OATL came to her in March of 2022 due to an increase in youth homelessness.
"I had a reason for creating, not just in general, because I was a homeless youth when I was 14. I'm not talking about couch surfing. I'm talking about bed hopping too because I didn't have a place to go," Royster said.
At 14 going on 15 years old, she said she reached out to child services herself to get help at home. The social worker took her out, gave her a meal, spoke with her mother and never came back. Royster said after that she felt lost and left home for six months.
However, Royster's aunt stepped up to be the mother she needed. Not everyone is so lucky, though, she said.
"We want to be a safety hub for these kids," she said. "A lot of kids, when you're out in the street, you don't sleep at night. So, they walk, they walk, they walk. In the morning they're exhausted, they're tired. We can serve as that safe space for them to come be safe, sleep, shower, all that good stuff," Royster said.
Having dealt with this herself, Royster said she's been able to listen to more than 300 kids tell her their stories. She's not shocked, but said she does feel for them and will always offer a judgment-free space with hygiene supplies, food, clothing and support.
It doesn't stop there, though. Royster said she works with them to come up with a plan.
"I'm taking on an approach. 'What are we doing? I'm not going to let you get comfortable in hopelessness. We're not about to do that,'" Royster said.
Royster added that multiple factors can contribute to homelessness, including domestic abuse or human trafficking.
So far, students from Woodward High School, Longfellow Elementary School, the University of Toledo and youth recommended by the LaGrange branch library have all reached out to OATL for help with teens they see in distress.
"Eighty percent of adults don't even think domestic violence happens among teenagers. Yes, it does and a lot of it occurs in the schools," Royster said.
Royster also created Our Voices Matter in 2023, which focuses on uplifting youth and empowering them away from teen dating violence and human trafficking.
In addition to all the groundwork, Royster also wants to create a shelter for teens.
Her goal is to raise $50,000 at OATL's Fall Gala on Nov. 7. For more information on the event, click here.