Meet Ryan, our young adult highlight!

Ryan found Connected Lane County during a rough time in his life. He was unhoused, couch surfing, and facing various barriers to education and employment. Hosea Youth Services shared Connected Lane County as a resource, and Ryan was able to receive support through our Direct Cash Transfers as Prevention Pilot before joining our other programs.

Navigate provided Ryan with access to new resources and activities like Wonder Week, a week-long job and career readiness experience. Ryan enjoyed the structure of Wonder Week, which included industry tours, a resume workshop, a job fair, and learning from experienced staff and community partners about culture, internal processes, and job readiness.

“Any questions I had, I felt, were adequately answered, taken very seriously, and responded to with a lot of compassion. I definitely liked the perspective that Wonder Week gave in seeing all of these different people, learning about resources, and getting a good idea of what’s out there,” said Ryan.

As someone with a complicated educational history who didn’t receive formal education and who has physical and learning disabilities, Ryan wants to highlight the importance of seeking help, sharing the sentiment that it’s not too late.

“I was definitely struggling a lot before I reached out to Navigate, and within this organization, I was able to find a lot of stability and motivation, as well as just general support towards finding something accessible for somebody who has so many difficulties in relation to disabilities. Having Connected Lane County is so supportive and accepting and just like a good community. I never feel anxious to reach out and get help with things. I definitely feel like it has super impacted my life, especially with Connected Lane County being a huge part of the reason why I was able to get into housing, which majorly impacted my ability to further my education and career,” said Ryan.

Ryan has become an engaged member of our community and volunteered for Market Fest, a local community celebration, and has recently started a paid work experience (WEX) at Cornerstone Community Housing. At his WEX, he gets paid to work 25-30 hours per week and builds skills by working with their resident services, food justice, and youth programs. Ryan will also participate in our upcoming Youth Support Specialist training, which provides hands-on learning and preparation for certified peer-to-peer support work in the community.

“I genuinely just really want to help other people. I have had a really tough life, and I really empathize with people who have also had really tough lives and kind of feel overwhelmed with life in general. I want to help people who have been in my situation kind of get back on their feet, and I am somebody who would want to just work with people,” said Ryan about his future educational and career goals.

We’re looking forward to seeing what Ryan does next to help others who have similar lived experiences!