CANTON − Mikala Reynolds spent five months of her junior year at McKinley High School living at the YWCA women’s shelter in downtown Canton.
Reynolds, who worked at McDonald’s, had lived with family members prior to becoming homeless. She lived with an aunt in Canton and then with her sister in Miami, Ohio. But soon after moving in, her sister became pregnant. Reynolds couldn’t stay.
So, she returned to Canton.
“The system failed me,” Reynolds said. “After that, I was homeless. It was really bad. I was house hopping, going to friend’s houses, trying to figure out where to live. I was taken by one of my friend’s moms to the homeless shelter.”
Recently, Reynolds moved to an apartment in Canton with a housing voucher from the YWCA. In part, she was helped by Chasing Hope House, a nonprofit that started in July 2024. Its founder and executive director, Chais Ross-Medal, has big plans for helping more teens like Reynolds.
Chasing Hope House is in the process of getting its independent living license from the Ohio Department of Children & Youth. Ross-Medal said it will be the first facility of its kind in the state.
The program will accept teens aging out of foster care or facing housing instability and will be staffed 24 hours a day by mentors. The goal is for youth 16 to 18 to start preparing for their futures and learning to be independent.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be time for regular teen things, like prom, high school football games and senior pictures, said LaMonica Jackson-Young, director of operations.
“A lot of them are missing out on those things,” she said. “We want to assist them in being teenagers while adding to basic life skills.”
About 1,000 kids exit foster care at 18 or older each year in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Children & Youth.
‘I’ve seen a need.’ Ross-Medal inspired by family to start nonprofit
Ross-Medal grew up around foster kids.
Her aunt, Ida Ross-Freeman, was a longtime community activist and respite parent.
Ross-Freeman was trusted by the kids she cared for and created lasting relationships.
“In the end of her life, a lot of kids were still coming to her,” Ross-Medal said. “She was 76, so it was sad. She wanted to still help, but she couldn’t.”
Her mom was also in the foster care system and was emancipated at 16.
“I come from a foster kid,” Ross-Medal said. “So, I kind of have a passion for it from the beginning.”
Since then, Ross-Medal has become a foster parent and has spent time learning the system.
Ross-Medal got her cosmetology license in 2011 and has worked in the health insurance industry for the past 10 years. Alongside her professional career, she’s also a commercial model with Pro-Model & Talent Management (PMTM).
She believes the nonprofit will help fill a gap in the community.
“I’ve seen a need,” she said. “There is a need for teenagers, for stability, for life skills, for mentorship and just for shelter.”
Independent living residential program to start in 2026
Chasing Hope House is already providing supportive services to teens in the community. Staff at McKinley High School have connected them to youth in need.
The nonprofit will continue to offer non-residential services such as mentorship and life skills support to youth 14 to 19.
The residential independent living program will build on that foundation for teens 16 to 18 aging out of foster care.
“We want it to be an initimate and supportive community,” Ross-Medal said.
The independent living program is expected to start with a pilot program utilizing apartments in downtown Canton at Crossroads United Methodist Church owned by nonprofit Canton For All People. Chasing Hope House is also working with Canton For All People to build three duplexes in the Shorb neighborhood.
The nonprofit is still looking for a larger building to house youth.
Chasing Hope House is in the final stage of the state licensing process. The final steps are confirming policies and procedures and getting the building.
Independent living settings provide life skills and a semi-supervised approach which differentiates them from other residential care facilities, according to a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Children & Youth.
The residential program is expected to start in January 2026 or earlier, as soon as the license is approved.
Chasing Hope House is also in the process of getting its state license for a drop-in shelter for youth 14 to 17 facing homelessness or in crisis situations. Its anticipated opening is fall 2026 and the shelter will serve youth not in state custody.
So far, the nonprofit received a grant from the Ohio Department of Children & Youth for a program to support young moms and dads 14 to 20 and funding from Republic Services.
‘Our youth need those supports.’
Stark County youth in the foster care system are often placed in foster homes and group homes outside the county, as far as Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati.
That makes it more difficult for them to establish a routine and visit with family members.
Sarah Goins, supervisor at Stark County Children Services, said there is a need for more options for youth, particularly close to home.
“There are some really good programs that are geared towards preparing them for adulthood, working on those independent living skills, giving them opportunities to get jobs. … (We) don’t have enough of it, and we don’t have anything here in our community,” she said. “Our youth need those supports.”
The county starts to provide independent living services at age 14 for youth in foster care. That program focuses on providing opportunities and helping them plan for their future.
The bridges program is also available for youth after they emancipate until they turn 21. That provides ongoing monthly support, including financial help.
The county helps connect youth to housing options and provides some funding to start. There are also Section 8 housing vouchers available to youth aging out of foster care.
But housing continues to be the biggest need.
“We need housing resources,” Goins said. “We know in our community that we’re struggling with affordable housing, and imagine how much more difficult that is for someone who is 18 and just starting out.”
Youth also need consistent support and help in maintaining their homes.
“They need flexibility. They need second chances and sometimes third chances,” Goins said. “And they need time. A lot of our young people need more time to have experiences and practice adulthood, but they’re already in it.”
Goins said she looks forward to Chasing Hope House opening its residential living program.
“It’ll be helpful for us to have a resource and good people in the community that we can trust that are going to look out for our youth,” she said.
Mikala Reynolds moves to new home, prepares for future
Now that she’s settled into her new home, Reynolds is looking forward to her senior year and what comes after.
“I’m ready to get that high school diploma,” she said.
She just got her temporary permit and is learning to drive.
Reynolds is planning to go to college to study business. She loves to braid hair and dreams of owning a small chain of salons in the future.
“I always just wanted to make people look good,” she said.
And she attends church every Sunday at 365 Alive Ministries.
Chasing Hope House has continued to help her along the way.
“Even though I don’t have parents in my life, I can always go to Chais and Moni about something,” Reynolds said. “I cherish that. I’ve never had nobody in my life that’s actually going to stay by my side and be here for me.”
Reach Grace at 330-580-8364 or gspringer@gannett.com. Follow her on X @GraceSpringer16.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Chasing Hope House aims to help youth aging out of foster care in Stark County
Reporting by Grace Springer, Canton Repository / The Repository
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