Launch House

Lafayette Mentors has now introduced Launch House - a residential program for young men who could benefit from intense guidance and direction for navigating into adulthood. These young men have often not had the benefit of a nuclear family to provide this guidance and direction. Referrals may come from foster care, school counselors, juvenile justice providers, community service agencies, and even self-referrals from young men themselves.

Launch House is not simply a place to live. It is an intensive yet exciting and unique opportunity to direct the future of young men with a goal for them to become successful, responsible, and independent men. With this opportunity comes many responsibilities. We only accept young men who truly and sincerely desire to work hard towards this goal.

Life Skills Program

All residents will participate in regular classes, programming, and mentoring to master these life skills. Community members who are knowledgeable and successful in these subject matters are being recruited to volunteer to teach and assist the residents to learn and master these critical life skills:

  1. Meal planning and preparation, food budgeting and shopping, and overall nutrition.

  2. Financing, banking, and financial planning

  3. Budgeting and how to get and stay out of debt

  4. Understanding insurance: health, auto, home, liability

  5. Understanding taxes (state, federal, payroll, property) and how to file a tax return

  6. Understanding simple legal contracts and how to protect yourself legally

  7. Knowledge of available community resources

  8. Basic home cleaning and maintenance including laundry

  9. Vehicle purchase, responsibilities of vehicle ownership, and maintenance

Admission Criteria

To be accepted as a resident of Launch House, the young man must:

  1. Want to live his life as a successful, responsible, and independent man.

  2. Be between the ages of 17 and 22.

  3. Be willing to comply with and follow all Launch House policies, procedures, and rules.

  4. Work positively and consistently toward the independent living goals of his life plan objectives.

If the young man has community partners with whom he is already engaged (e.g. counseling and therapy), Launch House will support the young man in continuing these services. Launch House will also assess each young man entering the program to determine if any additional services unique to him may be needed to help him become a successful, responsible, and independent man.

Program Requirements

  1. You will identify and actively pursue a professional career path. Your career path may be a skilled trade or an academic route.

    • A professional career path is one that allows you to use your natural skills and talents, that you find interesting and personally satisfying and that will permit you to adequately and fully support yourself and any eventual family.

  2. You will either be employed full-time, studying for your chosen career path full-time or a combination of work and study.

    • The job you will be working while attending training or schooling may but is often not in your chosen career field. While training or studying, many people rely on a job because it pays well, is conveniently located, and your assigned work hours are compatible with your training schedule.

  3. You will actively and fully participate in all assigned life skills services, whether group or individual.

    • Launch House will provide a comprehensive set of classes and training to prepare you to become an independent and responsible adult.

  4. You will prepare and maintain an up-to-date written life plan identifying what you need to do, to learn, to master, and to accomplish to become a successful, responsible and independent man. Your life plan will include specific tasks to make this happen and a goal timeline.