ORLANDO, Fla. — For more than a decade, the Faine House in Orlando has served as a beacon of hope for young adults aging out of the foster care system and in need of a place to call home.

A study conducted by the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness and the University of Chicago researchers found that on a single night, over 260 youth between the ages of 13 and 24 are homeless in Central Florida.

What You Need To Know

  • Faine House co-founder and retired NFL player Jeff Faine said the home was born out of a great need in Central Florida to keep young adults off the street

  • A study by the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness and researchers at the University of Chicago found that on a single night, over 260 youth between the ages of 13 and 24 are homeless

  • The 7,000 square-foot home in the Pine Hills community of Orlando has 10 private bedroom suites for 18- to 23-year-olds on the verge of homelessness

Faine House co-founder and retired NFL player Jeff Faine said the home was born out of a great need in Central Florida to keep young adults off the street.

Their goal is to inspire, heal and empower young people to achieve independence.

For 20-year-old Jasmine Zipperer, the Faine House is now a place of comfort after aging out of the foster care system.

“I aged out of foster care when I was 15 years old, and I aged out of foster care and I met a lot of people,” Zipperer said. 

The 7,000 square-foot home in the Pine Hills community of Orlando has 10 private bedroom suites for 18- to 23-year-olds who are on the verge of homelessness.

Zipperer said the other young adults at the Faine House are now her family. She has been at the Orlando-based nonprofit for nearly two years.

“I like the support that I receive here, and I just like that I have somebody there for me always when I need somebody there for me,” Zipperer said. 

“The lightbulb went off for me and instead of waiting until they are homeless, let’s be proactive and get to them before,” Faine said.

Faine said a loving family adopted him when he was 7 days old, and he wants to keep giving back to others.

“I always subscribed to the philosophy of those who received a lot of blessings have an opportunity, a responsibility more so, to give back and make an impact in their local community,” he said. 

Faine House Director Ray Gaines spends a lot of time with the young adults, hoping to reach and inspire them at a critical point in their lives.

“A lot of these young adults — it’s their last opportunity to get it right when you’ve been back and forth in a lot of foster care homes and a lot of group homes. You don’t have a lot of relationships that you need to be able to move on into adulthood, and I think the Faine House provides that,” Gaines said. 

Zipperer said she is grateful for her Faine House family and those who have supported her along the way, hoping to one day pay it forward.

“I just want to help people. And I feel like growing up, a lot of people did help me. And I just want to give back and help people,” Zipperer said.