Mindy Loves Learning Independent Living Skills

Mindy Glazner lights up when she talks about all the things she’s doing. At 21, she’s having a great time going in a million directions. Outgoing and energetic, Mindy likes to keep a lot of projects going at the same time, like working on her latest latch-hook rug and reading the book Twilight. She also feeds and cares for her pet guinea pig, Bugsy, and she’s taken on the responsibility of cooking for everyone who lives in her host home once a week. For her first try at cooking, Mindy made Hamburger Helper. Host Home Provider Lorraine Naveira coaches Mindy on cooking, meal prep and other skills to become more independent.

“Her first meal turned out great,” Lorraine reported. “We do the meal planning together. We start by looking at recipes and making a shopping list,” she explained. “Then when we go to the store, we keep track of the costs as we put ingredients into the basket to teach money management skills. I am in the kitchen with Mindy when she’s cooking, but I let her make the decisions as she goes through the process, answering her questions as she goes along.” Lorraine said what she likes about being a host home provider is watching people learn and grow. “I used to babysit little ones, and then a friend told me about host home opportunities. I love working from home, and I enjoy teaching. It’s the perfect job for me.”

Jeremy White, Program Manager for Colorado Solutions, enjoys helping young people like Mindy make the move to a host home. “We see tremendous growth when young adults live independently with the right amount of support,” Jeremy said. “As they learn not only more about the world, but more about their personal likes and dislikes, they can create a future that matches their interests.” For Mindy, life is opening up new challenges and unexpected change at every turn. She’s thinking about what she’d like to do in the work world, making new friends and learning to rely on herself more and more.

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