Epic Youth: Tennessee At-Risk Youth Neighborhood

Every year in Tennessee, countless young people age out of the foster care system or grow up in unstable environments without the safety, support, or structure they need to thrive. While the existing Epic Youth by Persevere program currently serves justice-involved youth up to age 18, this new initiative is focused on the critical, vulnerable period when young adults leave state care. Many of these young adults, specifically those aging out of foster care from 18 - 24 years old, face homelessness, trafficking, incarceration, and cycles of poverty simply because they never had a real chance at independent adult life.

We are building a solution.

Epic Youth by Persevere, in partnership with Zachary Heath Homes and community leaders across Tennessee, is launching the state’s first purpose-built neighborhood designed specifically for vulnerable young adults who have aged out of foster care. This development will provide more than housing, it will offer a full pathway to stability, healing, and independence for this often-overlooked group.

What This Neighborhood Will Provide

This initiative extends the core principles of the Epic Youth program, Empowerment, Perseverance, Innovation, and Community, to ensure successful transition to adulthood.

• Safe, Stable Homes: Designed specifically to protect and empower young adults (ages 18-24) during their critical transition from state care to independence.

• On-Site Healthcare: Immediate access to essential mental and physical healthcare, addressing the specific trauma and needs often experienced by youth aging out of foster care.

• Life Skills Training: Practical instruction in financial literacy, employment readiness, communication, conflict resolution, and home management.

• Education and Job-Training Pathways: Utilizing Epic Youth by Persevere’s proven model, the neighborhood will provide direct pathways to education, certifications, and career employment, including technology instruction and mentorship.

• Community Support: Consistent guidance, mentorship, and a supportive community structure, replacing the fractured support network many young adults lose upon aging out of foster care.

• A Long-Term Roadmap: A structured, two-year program focused on achieving true independence, not just temporary shelter.

Why We Need Your Support

This neighborhood represents hope, healing, and a future for young people who have been left behind for far too long. This is the safety net that the system currently lacks for these young adults.

Your contribution directly funds land planning, engineering, infrastructure, and the first stages of construction—turning blueprints into homes and giving these youth a real chance at life by providing them a stable launchpad.

Our Vision

To build safe, sustainable transitional neighborhoods for young adults aging out of care (18-24) in every county across Tennessee, breaking generational cycles of abuse, trauma, homelessness, and incarceration, and ensuring that no youth ages out of care into homelessness.

Your Impact

When you give, you aren’t just donating to a project.

You are building homes. You are building futures. You are saving lives.

P.S. Persevere is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 47-1039429). Your total gift, including any additional amount contributed to cover third-party processing fees, is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.