Tatiyana Rich was 7 years old when her father was murdered. After her mother remarried, Rich said there was a lot of fighting and instability in the home. At age 16, she was kicked out.
“I wasn’t officially homeless, but I was getting there,” Rich said. “That was my next step.”
Starting Right, Now took her in and offered her the support she needed. The Tampa-based nonprofit provides unaccompanied homeless youth with safe housing, academic help, financial stability and mental health support.
Vicki Sokolik created the organization in 2008 for teens who have run away from abusive homes or extreme poverty. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are an estimated 1.7 million unaccompanied homeless youth across the U.S., with more than 8,000 in Tampa Bay.
“Every single student that walks into our program has dealt with some sort of trauma, or they wouldn’t be here,” Sokolik said. “And we know that without mental health support and really working through your trauma, you will actually have problems the rest of your life.”
Rich said she wouldn’t be where she is today without the organization. “Sometimes I felt like I was this packed suitcase that was almost about to burst,” she said. “We’re all waiting to just be unpacked, to unpack the trauma, to unpack the deepest and darkest secrets. We just needed somebody to look within.”
With homes in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Sokolik hopes to continue expanding across the country. “The mission is we really want the kids to know that there is unconditional love and belonging at Starting Right, Now,” Sokolik said.
Learn more about Starting Right, Now in the video above. Find out more about its services here.
