‘Vagina Monologues’ author Eve Ensler will deliver uplifting message to foster kids | Opinion

Eve Ensler had no idea that her visit to Miami in 2004 would change lives.

The most that Ensler, a dynamic playwright and actress who performed “The Vagina Monologues” for several years Off-Broadway, hoped to achieve was to infuse a sense of urgency into a large group of activists that women’s issues were not being heard.

She related that, while performing her play in New York, she began to see women lined up outside the stage door after the performances.

They were not looking for autographs; they wanted to share their stories of sexual and physical abuse.

Five Miami women listening to her appeal, gathered to address the needs of at least one population not being served in Miami-Dade County — youth aging out of foster care.

The focus was to find housing and teach life skills to young women who, when leaving foster care at age 18, found themselves homeless and easy prey by the worst elements in our city — prostitution, sex-trafficking and poverty. There was an urgent need to provide safe, affordable housing, to keep these young adults in high school and motivated to go on to college or vocational schools.

That group became Casa Valentina. With the help of Ensler’s support allowing us to use “The Vagina Monologues” in 2005 and in 2016, we are now in our 14th year of leading these deserving young adults into a better life.

Working in conjunction with Our Kids, DCF, Citrix, Educate Tomorrow and Camillus House, more than 200 young women and men in Miami have beaten the odds and remained in school, gained employment and opened bank accounts.

They have become resilient and learned how to navigate the obstacles that all youth encounter on their road to independence.

Casa Valentina facilities, located downtown and in the West Grove, house 21 youths in residence for at least two years. They receive assistance from a dedicated staff of social workers, educators and business professionals.

Although they pay a residence fee of $400 a month from their state stipend, they receive services worth about $2,900 a month, including tutors, counselors, a furnished apartment, transportation, utilities, internet access and, most of all, love and support when things seem too much to handle.

When these youth determine that they are self-sufficient and ready to leave our apartments, we assist them in finding safe, affordable housing situations, a difficult task in Miami-Dade.

Our goal is to build a 50-plus studio apartment building to house many more youths who are at risk or aging out of foster care.

This would let Casa Valentina extend affordable transition housing to keep these young people from “falling off the cliff” again.

Although the numbers vary each year, at least 100 18-year-olds age out of Miami-Dade’s foster-care facilities. The county has determined that this age group — 18 to 24 — are the most seriously homeless population in the county.

However, without the life-skills training and the fundamental understanding of respect for property provided during their two years at Casa Valentina, this age group cannot successfully live independently.

Casa Valentina is unique in Florida and around the country, providing wraparound mentoring and coaching services tailored to each resident, as well as safe, affordable housing to help them reach their goals.

Casa Valentina is supported by community grants, private foundations, individual donors, generous contributions and matching funds on Give Miami Day.

The young people of Casa Valentina will get to tell Ensler what she means to them when they meet her before she appears in “Evening With … Eve Ensler,” 8 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Miami Book Fair International, MDC, Wolfson Campus.

Youths residing at Casa Valentina owe Ensler a big “thank you” for her call to action.

Marcia Reisman is a founding member of Casa Valentina.

This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 2:11 PM.