Belonging
Ending the Isolation of Aging Out of Foster Care
We are building what many never had—stable housing, real opportunity, and a community that stays.
Because aging out should never mean being left on your own.
About Belonging
Building pathways to stability, opportunity, and lifelong support.
Who we are
Belonging is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting foster care alumni and systems-impacted individuals as they transition into adulthood and beyond.
We address the gaps that exist after systems involvement—when support ends, but the need for stability, guidance, and community does not. Through housing, education, employment connections, and community-based support, Belonging creates pathways that extend beyond survival toward long-term stability.
Our work is rooted in lived experience and built to provide what systems often do not: consistency, connection, and a place to belong.
Built by people who understand the weight of navigating life without a safety net.
OUR STORY
Belonging was created in response to a reality too many know firsthand.
Each year, young people age out of foster care without the support systems needed to navigate adulthood. What follows is often not independence, but instability—housing insecurity, disrupted education, financial hardship, and isolation.
What began as a student-led initiative through Foster Forward has grown into a broader vision: to create a model of support that does not end at 18, but continues across the lifespan.
Belonging is rooted in the understanding that stability is not built in isolation. It is built through access, opportunity, and community.
Support should not expire when adulthood begins.
WHY BELONGING MATTERS
Foster care alumni face disproportionately high rates of housing instability, lower college completion rates, and limited access to long-term support networks.
These outcomes are not the result of individual failure—they are the result of systemic gaps.
Too often, support is time-limited, while the need for stability is not.
Belonging exists to bridge that gap by building support systems that extend beyond crisis moments and into the full trajectory of adulthood.
WHAT WE DO
Housing Stability
We expand access to safe, stable housing during critical transition periods ensuring individuals are not left without a place to
Education & Persistence
We support continued enrollment and academic success by addressing barriers that disrupt progress and access to opportunity.
Community & Belonging
We create spaces and experiences that foster connection, reduce isolation, and build lasting support networks.
Employment & Economic Mobility
We connect individuals to employment opportunities, resources, and skill-building pathways that support long-term financial stability.
OUR APPROACH
Culturally Responsive
We center the voices and experiences of those most impacted.
Holistic Support
We address housing, education, employment, and community together—not in isolation.
Long-Term, Not Temporary
We focus on sustainable solutions that extend beyond immediate intervention.
Community-Centered
We collaborate with institutions, organizations, and individuals to build a network of support.
MISSION
Our mission is to create pathways that allow foster care alumni and systems-impacted individuals to move from survival to lasting stability and thrive across the lifespan.
OUR VISION
A Future Where Every Alumni Finds Belonging
Where foster care alumni are not defined by the systems they experienced, but by the opportunities they are able to pursue.
Where community replaces isolation.
Where stability replaces survival.
Where every person has a place to belong.
Because no one should ever age out of belonging.
Our Values:
Belonging |
Community |
Lived Experience |
Opportunity |
Stability |
Our Values: Belonging | Community | Lived Experience | Opportunity | Stability |
Our Values
Belonging is guided by a set of core values that shape how we work with alumni, partners, and the broader community.
Lived Experience
The voices and leadership of foster care alumni are central to the work we do.
Belonging
At the heart of our work is the belief that every person deserves a place where they feel supported, valued, and connected.
Stability
Everyone deserves access to the resources and opportunities that allow them to build stable, fulfilling lives.
Community
We believe that meaningful relationships and supportive networks are essential for long-term well-being.
Events like Outreach Day bring together service providers, community organizations, and advocates to connect alumni with housing resources, employment opportunities, and essential supports.
BelongingWe believe foster care alumni should have the same opportunities to pursue education, careers, and personal goals as anyone else.
Our Values:
Belonging |
Community |
Lived Experience |
Opportunity |
Stability |
Our Values: Belonging | Community | Lived Experience | Opportunity | Stability |
oUR VALUES
Dignity
Every person deserves to be seen, valued, and supported
Equity
We work to address systemic barriers and expand access
Community
Belonging is built through connection, not isolation
Consistency
Support should not disappear during transition
our Founder
Natalie Paul is the founder of Belonging, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to building lifelong stability and community for individuals with lived experience in foster care.
A foster care alumna herself, Natalie brings both lived experience and research-informed perspectives to her work. She holds degrees in Human Development and Family Studies and African American and African Diaspora Studies and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Her work focuses on addressing the long-term needs of foster care alumni through housing stability, education access, financial empowerment, and community-building initiatives.
Natalie founded Belonging to help ensure that foster care alumni are not navigating adulthood alone.
What We’re Building
Belonging is working to build a community-centered model that supports foster care alumni in creating stable and fulfilling futures.
Through partnerships, outreach initiatives, and community engagement, Belonging is building a network of support that extends beyond the moment someone leaves foster care.
Because belonging should not have an expiration date.
Our Approach
Belonging takes a community-centered approach to supporting foster care alumni.
Rather than focusing only on the transition out of foster care, we recognize that the challenges alumni face often continue across the life span. Our work combines lived experience, research-informed insights, and community partnerships to build pathways to stability and opportunity.
Through housing initiatives, educational support, financial empowerment, and community engagement, Belonging works to strengthen the networks of support that help people thrive over time.
Our goal is simple: to ensure that foster care alumni are not navigating adulthood alone.