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Wilcome Human Services, a non-profit organization, which serves at-risk youth in Baltimore City; Baltimore County; and York, Pennsylvania; was founded in 2017 by Latoya Frazier. The Baltimore native’s experience with mentors as a teen mom, inspired her to start the organization to provide counseling, housing, career and education resources for young men and women in need. Frazier grew up in East Baltimore where she says that poverty, drug addiction and crime were prevalent in her community, and the mindset of many was that success was not possible.
“I dealt with many of the same issues we see at-risk youth who come to Wilcome Human Services dealing with today,” Frazier said. “I witnessed how drugs, whether being used or sold by family members, negatively impacted households and the community. The high rate of incarceration among juveniles, drug addiction and teen pregnancy are still barriers to success, and Wilcome Human Services wants to help change that.” Frazier, who felt she had already been labeled a statistic and failure because she was teen mother, was determined to create a different narrative for herself and her daughter.
“I started with Changing Directions, they really helped mold me,” Frazier recalled about the Baltimore based, career training, non-profit organization. “I was able to grow professionally and personally with the hands-on training they provided.” Changing Directions gave her the skills, support and opportunities that took her from the likely possibility of repeating the cycle of poverty, to becoming the Human Resources Coordinator at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
She has enjoyed a sixteen-year career at Johns Hopkins Medicine and attended the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and the University of Phoenix to earn her bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in Human Resources Management. Frazier, who is now a married mother of three says she was able to achieve success by believing she could. She also says that changing one’s mindset is the first step to creating a better life.
The Board of Directors that operates Wilcome Human Services with Frazier, often emphasizes this philosophy with the youth they serve. This year, Wilcome Human Services partnered with The White House to promote COVID-19 vaccine information, for which they received a thank you letter from President Biden in appreciation for their participation. Wilcome Human Services currently has two transitional homes for youth and will open another one this Fall. Workshops are available again to mentees, their families, and the public on many topics, including: Credit Building/Repair, Suicide Prevention for Students, Trauma and Relationship Building, Therapeutic Arts & Crafts, Education Resources, Job Readiness and more.
When asked how she decided on the name of the organization, Frazier revealed, “it was created with the belief that God’s will, will come.” A declaration and belief that Frazier knows for certain is “that no matter the circumstance, if one will tap into his/her determination, great things will come.” To learn more about Wilcome Human Services and to support them with a monetary or Amazon Smiles charitable donation, visit: www.wilhumanservices.org or call (844) WIL-COME (945-2663).
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