Pathways
Fewer than 3 in 100 young people who age out of foster care finish a four-year degree. We think that number is a design problem, not a talent problem.
Pathways coaches work one-on-one with each participant to build an education and work plan, then stick around to make it real. That means FAFSA nights, campus visits, rides to placement tests, and the call to financial aid when a hold shows up on an account.
Our Paid Apprenticeship track partners with 41 Charlotte employers in healthcare, skilled trades, logistics, and banking. Apprentices earn $17 to $22 an hour while they train, and 74% are hired full-time when the apprenticeship ends.
Pathways also manages the Lanternhouse Scholars Fund, which covers the gap between financial aid and the real cost of school: books, laptops, parking passes, and the summer when campus housing closes.
What you get
- A coach for school and work
- Paid apprenticeships at $17 to $22 an hour
- Scholars Fund grants up to $4,000 a year
- A laptop if you're enrolled
Questions
Do I have to live in Landing Homes?
No. Pathways is open to anyone who qualifies, wherever you live.
I dropped out. Is it too late?
No. About a third of Pathways participants start with GED prep.
Often paired with
- HousingLanding HomesFurnished apartments with up to 24 months of rent support, a key on day one, and someone to call when the pipe bursts.
- MentoringAnchor MentorsOne trained adult, matched for at least two years, who answers the phone at 11 p.m. and shows up for the graduation.
- Life skills and moneyLife LabThe stuff nobody taught you, taught by people who had to learn it the hard way. Plus a savings match that doubles every dollar.