Tina Turner's legacy

Tina Turner’s legacy is perseverance: Doing something despite difficulty or delay in reaching success; continuing to pursue a commitment despite obstacles in the way. 

She grew up feeling unloved and unwanted. She experienced kinship care, parental abandonment, and domestic abuse. These two quotes capture her perspective:

Hope Landing in Licking County

What would it look like:

•  If you lived in a small county, among Ohio’s 88 options, and sincerely cared about improving foster care outcomes to the extent that you literally purchased a six bedroom apartment building?
  
  
• And if you cared so much that you partnered with others in order to ensure that every apartment was fully furnished, even down to the details of including kitchen and cleaning supplies?

It would look like the beautiful example that I saw during my visit to Hope Landing on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. I wish with all my heart that each and every one of Ohio’s (diverse, budget strapped, focusing on other things) counties had a local partner who was willing to make this level of commitment.

Hope Landing is a short-term transitional housing unit located in the Newark-Heath area that gives youth a chance to get on their feet. It provides former foster youth with a safe place to live while connecting them with community services and mentoring to help them get a job, obtain a driver’s license, and learn how to live independently. Hope Landing is a place for youth in transition to catch their breath, figure out next steps, and prepare to and move on to a successful future.

Link to more photos.

Lisa's interview with Angela Tucker of REFCA

I was honored to be named a REFCA Champion and to be interviewed by Angela Tucker as part of the INNOVATE! podcast series. The acronym stands for: Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America.

Here's a link to the interview:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1885968/12800858  

Show Notes: REFCA Champion Lisa Dickson is involved in a wide array of initiatives in Ohio that amplify and honor youth voice and experience. She works diligently to ensure that young people living in foster care are designing and implementing on the federal level, including speaking directly to HUD leadership. In this episode of INNOVATE!, Lisa shares the story of how she helped create a youth-specific Ombudsman Office and how she advocated for the inclusion of youth voice and leadership in the passing of the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act.