Fighting for Hope, Stability and Growth
Katherine Valentine is leading a life of transformation — overcoming significant challenges beginning in foster care from age 5 to 18 combined with periods of homelessness.
After aging out of the foster care system, her housing situation was unstable, aggravated during the COVID pandemic forcing Valentine to face homelessness again after losing her job.
“Without the support of the organization during my hardship, I don’t know how I would have made it in life,” Valentine said. She was referred to the BCFS Health and Human Services’ Preparation for Adult Living program. Through the program, a BCFS initiative for young adults aging out of foster care, she was referred to Opportunity Home and received a Housing Choice Voucher.
Achieving stability went from impossible to possible when she was able to secure a new apartment that she could decorate, cook and call home.
Securing permanent housing has allowed Valentine to prioritize her education as a business administration major at Central Texas College, where she is maintaining a 3.4 GPA. Her academic success helped her secure an Opportunity Home Resident Scholarship — one of 29 housing participants selected Aug. 22. “They did not just give me a scholarship, but also a place to live. Having support and resources makes the biggest difference,” she said.
The scholarships give Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher participants an affordable path toward college and pursuing their dreams. For Valentine, Opportunity Home’s Resident Scholarship provides hope, growth and a fighting chance for stability.
Valentine was the only recipient of additional scholarship funds through the Joshua Longoria “Passion for Life” Memorial Scholarship — awarded to individuals who are committed to creating life-changing outcomes for their communities.
She dreams to start up a non-profit organization that provides supportive programs (job training, mental health resources, etc.) for individuals wrestling with similar circumstances as she did. Through her work, Valentine is also determined to continue building a healthy, comfortable life that was non-existent for the majority of her life.
“I want to help people of all ages, not just foster youth up until the age of 24,” she said. “I want to provide them with the proper resources they need to create their own life of stability.”
Because of the experiences she has endured and conquered, she advises individuals facing similar struggles as hers to embrace challenges that come with achieving success.
“The easy way is not the way to go. You have to get excited by challenges and figure out how to be consistent. Life is never going to get easier, only harder, and that’s where you will have to figure out how to be ok.”