Jose had a difficult life when he lived with his mom and her boyfriend. When his mother stopped supporting him, Jose had to sell his personal belongings just to get money to support himself.
Deciding it was time to leave his mother’s boyfriend’s house when he was in high school, he moved in with his sister. The feeling that nothing was ever really his was constant. He often worried that he could be asked to leave his sister’s home at any time, which would leave him without access to food and a place to stay.
Fortunately, Jose was able to enroll in Youth On Their Own, a local nonprofit that supports the high school graduation and continued success of youth experiencing homelessness by providing essential resources .
During the 2019-2020 school year, YOTO enrolled a record 2,176 students — a 6% increase over the previous year — and saw a graduation rate of 84%.
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YOTO’s work would not be possible without the support and generosity provided by the local community. The majority of YOTO’s funding comes from individual members of the community. In particular, YOTO benefits significantly from the Arizona charitable tax credit, which accounts for about 20% of the organization’s donations, allowing YOTO to support students like Jose each year.
By donating your $400 Arizona charitable tax credit to YOTO, you can provide over two months of financial assistance to a student like Jose. The impact doubles for couples filing jointly who donate the maximum $800 tax credit. Above all, every donation made to YOTO shows local youth experiencing homeless that their community believes in them, invests in them, and wants to see them succeed.
