Guiding Harbor serves at-risk youth for almost 7 decades

For 68 years, Guiding Harbor has been providing residential care and vital support for children and teens navigating the foster care system throughout the Belleville area.

Originally founded as Girlstown Foundation in 1958 by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Michigan (GFWC), the organization modeled itself after Nebraska’s Boys Town and sought to become a place for “wayward” teen girls who had nowhere to go.

By collecting $1 from each of 30,000 members, as well as hosting bake sales and card parties, the organization was able to purchase a house at 330 Liberty Street to provide residential support for girls ages 10 to 14.

In the 1970s, plans were in motion to purchase a second home on Quirk Road. When fire inspection concerns were raised at the Liberty Street location, Girlstown moved to the Quirk Road location, which remains its primary residential facility today. The agency expanded to serving boys in the 1980s and the name was changed to Guiding Harbor in 2010 to be more inclusive.

Today, the Quirk Road location houses the Girlstown Residential program (the name a nod to the past), which is a highly regulated environment serving children who have experienced trauma. Guiding Harbor CEO Jennifer Trotter explained that “when [they] know what’s going to happen next, they can focus on healing as opposed to living in that kind of fight or flight.”

Guiding Harbor continues to provide a wide range of support to foster families, from licensing to essential home repairs. While the goal is always to reunite children with their parents, Guiding Harbor recognizes that this is not always possible and launched its adoption program in 2019, aiding in both locating adoptive families and finalizing adoptions.

In 2024, the Independent Living Plus facility opened in Ypsilanti. This program allows youth ages 16 and up, who will soon be aging out of foster care, to build life skills they may not have had the opportunity to learn earlier, with the goal of helping them feel confident going into adulthood. Residents live in the facility, which is staffed 24/7, and must work and go to school, but are allowed to function as adults.

Beyond its programs, Guiding Harbor relies heavily on community support. Organizations like the Belleville Area Kiwanis Club have maintained a long-standing partnership with the agency, while volunteers are welcomed for campus projects and fundraising. The largest need by far is foster families, and Guiding Harbor hosts orientations for prospective foster parents twice a month.

As its services grow, Guiding Harbor hopes to build a campus and unite its programs in one central location, allowing for easier transitions between them, as well as upgraded facilities. “It’s going to be a big endeavor,” Trotter said, “but we’re really excited.”

On Thursday, Nov. 7, Guiding Harbor will host “Harboritaville,” an island-inspired evening featuring dinner, drinks, a silent auction, and the music of Jimmy Buffett tribute band The Leaky Tikis at The Diamondback. The evening begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are $125, with all proceeds supporting children and teens in foster care.

Tickets to “Harboritaville” and additional information about the agency can be found at guidingharbor.org .