Alternatives For Girls
Alternatives For Girls helps girls and young women experiencing homelessness and other risks avoid violence, early pregnancy, and exploitation; and help them to explore and access the support, resources, and opportunities necessary to be safe, to grow strong, and to make positive choices for their lives.
"My name is Tai'Sha-Monae. I have been a peer mentor at Alternatives For Girls for about five years. I love being in the community I grew up in and talking to the young people, letting them know about AFG and how they can help. After all, I too was one of those girls years ago.
In 9th grade, I begin to make choices out of hurt. I was doing well in school, played travel racquet ball and was on the step team. However, my dad passed away around this time, and I began to make bad choices and was suspended from school. Not long after that I went with a friend to a job fair and met a peer educator from AFG. I learned about their programs and since that day, I have been with AFG. AFG helped me be a better person and put me on the right track in life. I have more self-esteem and confidence and because of this, I was able to graduate high school, help my mom with my younger siblings and become an AFG peer mentor. I am also a store manager with the career goal of becoming a truck driver, just like my dad.
An AFG peer mentor is someone who can change a life. We made choices, good and bad, and can share our experiences with young girls so they too can know their potential. I will be a peer mentor as long as I am needed."
Financials
Programs
Shelter
Focus area is on crisis response and safety. We provide a stable home that helps teens and women avoid high-risk activities, such as sex work, drug use, domestic violence, and gang involvement. We empower participants to make safe choices and live healthy lives.
Prevention
Focus area is on early intervention and leadership development. We serve girls ages 7-19 who are at risk of gang involvement, abusing drugs or alcohol, early pregnancy, and school truancy. We engage them through mentoring, after-school programs, a college prep program, and a summer camp.
Outreach
Focus area is the expansion of participant opportunities. Our programming serves as a lifeline to many young and adult women seeking to remove themselves from situations and activities that threaten their well-being, their futures, and their lives.
Housing Stability
Focus area is housing and community permanence. We support 18 to 24-year-olds experiencing homelessness with housing and other resources designed to stabilize them in the community. Young adults, including some with children, accept housing assistance and personalized case management. We emphasize the pursuit of education, vocational training, and employment geared for self-sufficiency and healthy, productive lifestyles.
Volunteering + Events
HERizons Mentor
HERizons Mentors: working with middle school and high school girls, the goal of these mentors is to help their mentees explore their interests, learn healthy relationship skills, and expand their opportunities for the future.
Mentor qualifications: All women welcome; must be 18+; 2 hrs/mo required.
Street Outreach Team
2-3 nights per week, our Safe Choices staff drive around different zip codes in the Detroit area to connect with active sex workers. They provide them with crisis intervention services, hygiene and harm-reduction kits, clothing, and other resources. Our Safe Choices team is committed to the safety and empowerment of all those we serve.
Cook An After-School Meal
Our Prevention Department hosts an After-School Program (ASP) 4 days a week - Monday through Thursday - from 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM. During this program, we provide them with dinner, tutoring, and age-appropriate programming focused on building their confidence and self-awareness.
We are inviting groups to support ASP by cooking a dinner for our participants. Here's what you need to know:
ALL FOOD MUST BE PREPARED ONSITE
Dinner is served at 4:30 PM
Serving 30-40 girls
Dietary restrictions: lactose intolerant, shellfish allergy, peanut allergy (only when consumed)
Depending on the meal, please plan to arrive about 1.5-2 hours prior to meal time
Your group must provide the ingredients for the meal
We invite you to serve the meal to the participants!
We can fit up to 5 individuals in the kitchen at once. If you have a larger group, they are welcome to spend time with our participants in the multipurpose room.
Depending on your group members' skills, we would also welcome tutoring services during meal prep.
Groups who would also like to host a workshop or fun activity for the participants in addition to the meal are more than welcome to do so! Workshops may focus on topics such as self-care, academic interests (STEAM, for example), soft skills, building confidence, or health/mental health.
You will have a stove, oven, dishwasher, sink, microwave, electric skillet, blender, slow-cooker food prep area, and a small selection of cooking supplies. We can go over this more in detail when scheduling your group.
Community Food Distribution
On the first and third Thursday of every month, Alternatives For Girls hosts a Forgotten Harvest Distribution at our building. Volunteers work in a system to load up our guests' cars with food and other home products. We have a variety of both heavy and light items, so if you have some folks in your group who cannot lift things over 5lbs, they can still do this opportunity! This opportunity takes place outdoors.
We also greatly benefit from having a Spanish-speaking volunteer to assist us in checking our guests in, as the vast majority of folks we serve are native Spanish speakers.