Carrying Our Mission from Dublin to D.C.
This past month has been one of the most extraordinary and affirming chapters in my 22 years at Foster Forward, and as I approach that milestone on July 1st, I wanted to take you behind the scenes of two experiences that represent the culmination of so much of our shared work.
In early June, I had the privilege of speaking at the International Social Housing Festival in Dublin. I was invited by longtime housing leaders I’ve admired for years, Brenda Clement (HousingWorks RI), Frank Shea (WDC & HOC), and Joe Garlick (NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley) to co-present in a session focused on storytelling and housing solutions. These are leaders who’ve been engaged in global housing networks for decades, and to be asked co-present and discuss our work with youth aging out of foster care on that stage was a great honor.
I shared how we’re leveraging FYI vouchers and purchasing homes to rent directly to young people, an approach that still feels bold, but also necessary. As I told the story of one young person we’ve served, what struck me was how people from Ireland, Wales, Finland, and New Zealand leaned in. Around the world, youth with foster care experience—known in the UK as “care leavers”, are overrepresented in homelessness. Different languages, same barriers: housing scarcity, fragmented systems, insufficient investment.
What resonated most, though, was the realization that we are not falling behind, we are pushing forward. And while none of us has it all figured out, we’re asking the right questions. Questions like: Should a young person ever have to “age out” of their housing? That kind of inquiry, and the cross-cultural dialogue it sparked, was energizing. I was invited to join a European Housing First workgroup after a lively Q&A session. It reminded me why international peer exchange is so vital—because ideas sharpen when shared.
I returned from Dublin on a Sunday. By Monday morning, I was in a board meeting. And by Tuesday, I was finalizing written testimony for arguably the most high-profile platform of my career, the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Work & Welfare hearing titled “Aging Out is Not a Plan: Reimagining Futures for Foster Youth.” I was one of four witnesses invited to testify at the hearing by Committee Chairman LaHood, after a staffer from his office identified our Works Wonders® program during a national scan for promising models. That moment wasn’t just a professional honor; it was a powerful recognition of the youth who helped co-create that model and the staff who have worked so hard to bring it to life. Thanks to our fierce team—Caitlin Divver, Bernadette Tavares, Kat Keenan—and the guidance of David Cicilline, and past and present Board members, we met the moment. We made sure the story we told was not only data-driven, but deeply human.
When I sat down at that witness table, I felt everything: nerves, the weight of responsibility, pride. Etched on the table in front of me were the words: “God bless you. I salute you.” I thought of my dad and his many years of military service. I was overcome with a deep sense of awe, knowing how far Foster Forward has come and what it meant to have youth-driven work from Rhode Island center stage in a national conversation. I was also struck by how thoughtful, genuinely receptive, and refreshingly bipartisan the Subcommittee members were in their approach to reimagining futures for foster youth.
In both Dublin and D.C., what stood out to me was this: change doesn’t come from systems alone—it comes from people. People who see what’s not working and choose to build something better. Youth who courageously share their stories. Staff who hold the vision and grind through the work. Partners who stay the course. And supporters—like you—who fuel the mission with belief and action.
Foster Forward is a rare place. We stand at the intersection of lived experience and legislative influence. We’re shaping national conversations while housing and hiring young people right here in Rhode Island. These moments didn’t happen by chance; they have been years in the making. And we are incredibly proud to share them with you.
Thank you for walking with us, believing in this work, and being part of our story.
With gratitude,
Lisa Guillette
Executive Director
Foster Forward
