Youth in Group Homes
We bring hands-on programming directly into group homes, creating opportunities for youth to practice everyday life skills in a familiar and supportive environment.
Who we serve
Stuff nobody teaches you before 18.
Most young adults learn to manage money, a lease, or a job interview a little at a time, with a parent to call. Many kids in foster care never get that chance before they're on their own.
EpekAZ teaches those skills in group homes and transitional living homes, and keeps showing up for young adults after they age out.
Real Experiences. Real Opportunities.
Where we show up
Our Focus
EpekAZ Foundation serves young people who are currently in foster care, are preparing to transition out of foster care, or have already aged out of the system. Our primary focus is on youth living in group homes and transitional living homes, as well as young adults navigating the first stages of independent adulthood after foster care.
Every young person’s story is different. We meet them where they are and help them prepare for where they want to go.
Youth in Transitional Living Homes
We support youth as they move closer to independence by giving them real-world experiences, tools, and connections to help them build confidence and prepare for adult life.
Young Adults Who Have Aged Out
Our support continues beyond foster care, offering opportunities for young adults who have already transitioned to strengthen their skills, build stability, and pursue their goals.
Why It Matters
The transition from foster care to adulthood can happen quickly. Learning how to be an adult does not.
Many young people leaving foster care face higher risks of homelessness, unemployment, and other challenges simply because they have not had the same opportunities to practice everyday responsibilities.
That is why EpekAZ exists: to create more opportunities for God’s children to experience and practice adulthood before and after they are expected to navigate it on their own.
Source: Arizona Department of Child Safety (2024); Results Arizona
- 7,466
children in out-of-home care in Arizona (May 2025)
Source: Arizona Department of Child Safety (2025) - 40%
of Arizona youth ages 14 and older in foster care had four or more placements during their most recent time in care (2021). Nationally it was 41%.
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation (2023)
We share these numbers carefully and with sources. They describe what the system too often produces, not who these young people are. In Arizona, young people can leave foster care at 18, or stay up to 21 if they choose the state’s voluntary Extended Foster Care and meet its school or work requirements. EpekAZ serves both.
“I can do this.”
Our Goal
- Open doors to real-world experiences
- Create opportunities for hands-on learning
- Build connections with community partners
- Help them gain confidence to reach their goals
- Support their next step wherever it leads
Every young person has potential. We are here to help them reach forward.
What we teach
No grades and no tests. Just the things a parent would normally teach, taught by volunteers who do them every day.
Hands-On Real-World Brighter Futures
- Cooking & Nutrition
- Grocery Budgeting
- Career Exploration
- College & Education
- Financial Literacy
- Community Experiences
- Support & Encouragement
- and much more
A glimpse of what we’ll cover
A few examples of the everyday skills we’ll practice together. Program names are still to come.
money
Money Moves
Bank accounts, budgets, credit scores, and how to avoid fees that eat a paycheck.
housing
First Apartment
Leases, deposits, roommates, utilities, and what to do when something breaks.
kitchen
Cook on a Budget
A week of real meals from one grocery run. Knife skills included.
jobs
Get Hired, Stay Hired
Résumés, interviews, the first week on the job, and asking for a raise.
paperwork
Adulting Admin
IDs, insurance, appointments, and taxes: the calls and forms everyone dreads.
getting around
Getting Around
Bus routes, a first car, insurance, and the basics under the hood.
Teach a class
You already know something they need.
Pick what you could teach. One afternoon counts, and we handle the planning.
Volunteers need a background check and a fingerprint clearance card. It is simpler than it sounds: the background check is one online form, and we will walk you through the fingerprint card step by step.