I am a former homeless youth and alumni for the Youth Success Project. I experienced homelessness at the age of 17 for a total of two years before I became connected with waypoint to secure stable housing. I now am a mother of a three year old and hold two degrees, an associates degree in Addiction Counseling and a bachelor's degree in Human Services. I am now pursing my last and final degree for a masters in Criminal Justice and working my dream job as a substance abuse counselor working with criminal offenders in reentry.

My name is Cambrey Mercedes 23 (she/her). I first experienced homelessness as a child. I stayed in many shelters with my parents, and siblings. I experienced homelessness again at age 18 when I was pregnant. I’m a domestic violence survivor part of the LGBTQ community. I bounced around from shelter to shelter with my daughter from the day she was born until a couple weeks shy of her 2nd birthday. While in those shelters I was connected with Waypoint and Strafford Community Action Partnership and was able to get permanent housing, my license, a car, and I re-enrolled in GED classes. My goal is to graduate and eventually build a career in law enforcement.

Celene is 23 years old and was born and raised in the Nashua area of New Hampshire. She first experienced homelessness while attending university, which caused her to leave college early before completing her bachelor's degree in Women’s Studies. Celene experienced homelessness in the Tri-City area of New Hampshire and is now working on building her community and stability. Celene is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and representation, enjoys creative writing, and social justice work.

Manni is 23 years old and became a member in early 2022 after Stepping Stones Drop-In Center in Nashua told him about the Youth Success Project. Manni has been homeless in the Nashua area for a few years and is hoping to go to college in the Fall!

Ariel Hayes grew up in Arizona and has degrees in Gender and Women’s Studies and Public Health from the University of Arizona. Ariel is passionate about grassroots advocacy work, community building, social justice, and youth empowerment. She was a voting member of the Youth Success Project before stepping into the Director role.  

Maddie is a youth leader and founding member of the Youth Success Project (YSP). She holds the “youth with lived experience” voting position on the Balance of State Continuum of Care’s Executive Committee and co-chairs the Youth Subcommittee. She has been an integral part of the YSP’s efforts to carry out and execute the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) grant in the Balance of State. Maddie was born and raised in rural New Hampshire and is leading YSP’s efforts to expand their work into rural parts of the state. She graduated from the NH Coalition to End Homelessness’s Granite Leaders Program in June of 2022. Maddie also serves as the director of the DCYF youth action board and is working to elevate youth voice and lived experience within that system.

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Suzie is 24 years old and a member of the Youth Success Project. Her experience with homelessness began when she was 17 years old and was kicked out by a parent. Suzie has been homeless for 4 years and struggled with substance use disorder as a direct result of her homelessness. She is now housed, in recovery, and working towards her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. Suzie hopes to positively affect change in New Hampshire so future generations don’t go through the same experiences that she did.

Heyo! I’m Jackson, I first experienced homelessness at the age of 6 years old with my family and went to 7 different public schools growing up. In high school I was on the football and wrestling team. After I graduated high school, I unfortunately experienced homelessness again. I was accepted into Waypoint's Transitional Living Program and built my life up from scratch. Now I have support in my personal life, role models to look up to and, most importantly, I found my purpose. I’m looking to end the experience of youth homelessness. It is no child’s fault that they are homeless.

I'm Brie, I'm a former youth in care and a founding member of the YSP. I experienced homelessness at different stages of my life beginning at age 11, then again when I was 16, 18, and 21. However, I did not know about supportive services until I was 20 years old. I am now doing well, housed with a voucher, and a youth leader for the YSP. The YSP helps young people share our voices, and helps service providers better understand young people so we can all work together to end youth homelessness.

I strongly believe that my experience with homelessness made me a stronger person. Homelessness doesn't have a specific look, disability, race, or identity. We are all in this community together and all have an important voice. Homelessness is not your story, it's only a chapter. There are many chapters ahead so never give up because you are worth it!!!

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Britt is originally from Rochester and experienced homelessness as a minor and as a young adult. She was housed through Waypoint’s Rapid Rehousing Program and is now a member of the Youth Success Project. Britt likes working as part of a team with other YSP members to make a difference in the lives of other youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.