At first glance, the new Graffiti & Silk thrift store on Mobile Hope’s Leesburg campus looks like something out of a design magazine: a chandelier made of paintbrushes, a moped staged as a beauty bar, and clothing racks created from vintage doors. But each of these pieces, designed and produced by the unhoused teens Mobile Hope serves, tells a deeper story of hope and resilience.
“There are so many interesting things in the store that are specific to the mission,” CEO and Founder Donna Fortier said. “The lamp shades represent all the kids we have lost to suicide or drug overdose whose light has gone out. The clothes racks made of doors? They’re for the kids who don’t have doors to walk through if they’re living on the streets.”
Details like vintage hotel keys serving as hooks recall the hotels that house newcomers at Mobile Hope. “It’s a reminder to shoppers of what they are supporting,” Allyson Ruscitella, Director of Development, said.
Their mission of empowering homeless and at-risk youth is woven through every detail of Graffiti & Silk, which is a component of Trading Up, the nonprofit’s trade school, launched in 2022 with support from Google. One of their projects involves restoring an Airstream trailer, giving students a chance to practice construction and creative skills. They’re also developing a garden. These initiatives are all geared to the whole individual, providing shelter, teaching self-sufficiency, and raising awareness about the lack of affordable housing for this age group.
“Creative construction is one of our most engaging tools,” Amy Burns, creative director, said. “We’re teaching them to use saws, sandpaper, paint. They’re learning real skills, but they’re also contributing. They’re helping us build something, and that’s powerful.”
Gaining Trust, Changing Lives
The Mobile Hope staff works alongside about 500 kids in the crisis care program, who are in various stages of homelessness. As they tackle projects like the thrift store, they develop trust and relationships. “So when it’s time to have hard conversations we’ve already built the foundation,” Ruscitella said.
Fortier explained that everyone on staff wears a case management hat. “The kids have to feel safe in order to open up and move forward, so we’re nonjudgemental and welcoming,” Fortier said. “We engage them in everything we do so they can feel safe and can move forward.”
Students, volunteers and staff eat, work and attend events together, all in an effort to break down barriers and build networks of support.
“They meet CEOs who are volunteering, working side by side with businesses, and they branch out as far as who they have in their world,” Fortier said. “The more people who are involved, the more opportunity there is. They recognize that they are important, and people care about them.”
She said the more experienced kids tend to welcome and support new ones. “There’s a lot of peer-to-peer support that happens when new kids come in terrified,” Fortier said. “Others help walk them through what to expect, and we rely on them as much as they rely on us.”
The Mobile Hope kids help with Listen for the Honk, a program organizing bus runs for food distribution to struggling families. “It lets kids take a deep breath and recognize that everyone struggles, and it’s OK to ask for help,” Fortier said.
Success Stories
Mobile Hope’s crisis care program has a success rate of around 90 percent, with countless inspiring stories. One young man, brought in by a neighbor after being found sleeping on a park bench, now lives in his own apartment and was recently named employee of the month at a local grocery store. Another arrived expecting only a sleeping bag and a tent. Today, he’s employed by the organization that welcomed him in.
“Even on his worst day, he still held the door open for someone and told them to have a good day,” Ruscitella said. “That moment mattered. These small successes build confidence and help them realize they’re good people. Many of them have spent their whole lives being told they’re not.”
Volunteers play a critical role in making it all happen, contributing thousands of hours each month. From food distribution to mentoring to simply sitting down and sharing a meal, community members are helping to change lives in tangible ways.
“Whatever your passion is, you’ll find a way to apply it here,” Fortier said. “Get involved. Get a tour. Help cook or mentor. Join our community and help kids recognize that they are not alone.”
Because at Mobile Hope, success is measured by each young person who recognizes their own worth. Every chandelier, every door, every handmade shelf is a reminder: They have the power to build something better.
To learn more about Mobile Hope, get involved, or make a donation, visit https://mobile-hope.org/
As Director of Community Affairs for Inova Loudoun Hospital, Donna Fortier noticed a lack of services for homeless youth. “Especially those who were aging out of foster care,” Fortier said.
She began Mobile Hope as a project with Inova, distributing clothes, food and hygiene items. In 2012, Mobile Hope became a 501(c)3, with Fortier working full time to help each kid on their path to self-sufficiency.
"They’re learning real skills, but they’re also contributing. They’re helping us build something, and that’s powerful.” —Amy Burns