Cafe owner helps former foster kids adjust to life

BREWERYTOWN, PA. — Like so many young people who age out of the foster-care system, Yazmeen Washington found herself at age 21 all alone and ill-equipped to shoulder the responsibilities of adulthood. She had only temporary housing when she found work as a barista at Brewerytown’s The Monkey and the Elephant, eventually saving enough money to rent her own place.

Filled with hope, she began the search for an apartment. The process quickly became soul-crushing.

“I thought it would be simple, but I got rejected over five times,” says Washington, now age 22. “I wasn’t a former renter. I didn’t have built-up credit, so everyone wanted me to have a co-signer. But most of us who get out of the system don’t have a long line of family members waiting to sign for us.”

Fortunately, Washington had someone else looking out for her: Lisa Miccolis, her boss and founder of The Monkey and the Elephant (M&E), a nonprofit coffee shop whose mission is to equip former foster kids with the resources and support they need to create successful, stable lives.

The stakes for people like Washington are high: In the U.S., it’s estimated that nearly 40% of young people who are released from foster care either become homeless or bounce from one temporary housing situation to the next.

Miccolis reached out to a property manager she knew who was willing to help because of Washington’s affiliation with M&E. In March, Washington moved into her first self-funded apartment: a one-bedroom in Kensington.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without Miss Lisa,” said Washington of Miccolis.

Positive outcomes like Washington’s are common at M&E, where Miccolis is on a mission to help young adults aging out of foster care manage the jarring gap between dependent care and adult life. M&E enrolls four young adults at a time (ages 18 to 22) in its transitional employment program.

Participants receive a mix of paid work experience and personal and professional development classes. They’re invited to stay for up to a year.

M&E alum have gone on to land jobs as managers at other cafes, mentors at organizations helping homeless youth, and beyond. Miccolis continuously sends out group emails to alert them of new job opportunities, and alums will often drop in for advice or resume help.

“They’re gaining financial literacy and setting up career goals, but beyond all of that, they acquire a support system,” says Meghan Ryan, a former social worker and current M&E program coordinator. “It becomes so, so, so powerful to feel like people have your back.”