Anay, age 22, enrolled in the Rising Up program in November 2021 and looked forward to moving into her first apartment. Now, less than a year into the program, Anay has a home to call her own and is working diligently to open her own beauty salon—but it hasn’t been easy.  

In January 2022, just after she moved into her Rising Up apartment, a car accident left Anay unable to work either of her two jobs. Despite her injuries, she was motivated to work and expand her skillset. Within a month of the accident, Anay secured a paid internship working remotely for California Waste Solutions in Oakland. She works full-time there by day and was offered a supervisor position this month. At night, Anay continues to work towards her long-term dream to open her own beauty shop. She attends an extensive training program to earn her esthetician license. She says she knows her effort will be worth it later on, even if she’s tired! 

We are proud of Anay and extremely impressed by her resilience, independence, and drive. Good luck Anay on opening your own beauty shop—we cannot wait to see how you’ll continue to succeed!   

What is the Rising Up Program?

Since 2019, First Place for Youth has offered rapid rehousing, housing case management, and robust employment and education services for 84 formerly homeless transition-age youth through the Rising Up program. Rising Up is a partnership among various youth service providers and the City of San Francisco designed with the goal to eliminate San Francisco transition-age youth homelessness. Through our teams’ skilled case management, workforce and education support, First Place for Youth was tapped to provide coaching for young adults like Anay. 

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