By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A roughly century-old home that served as a Rosecrance recovery house for more than two decades has been turned over to a nonprofit that works to mentor youth on their path to healthy adulthood.
The Rosecrance Hillman House, a two-story home tucked behind a line of trees at 2415 E. State St., has been transferred to Life Decisions. The two organizations held a ceremony Tuesday to celebrate the transition and showcase their partnership.
“This is not just a building,” said Jake Rogers, chief visionary officer and founding mentor of Life Decisions. “It’s about creating a safe space where young people can feel supported, valued and empowered to thrive.”
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The six-bedroom house had served as the home of Rosecrance’s long-term residential recovery program for boys ages 14 to 18 to help them develop independent living skills after treatment for alcohol and substance abuse addictions.
Life Decisions will use it to support at-risk youth and young adults in the community. The faith-based nonprofit strives to help people ages 15-23 get out of trouble and on the path for success through mentorship in groups, from peers, individually and in day-to-day activities.
The home will initially be used for office space and as an additional day home for programming to complement its existing property a couple blocks down the street. The goal is to eventually use the home for transitional housing for 18 to 23 year olds to allow them to leave detrimental home environments.
“The housing piece is such a critical need,” Rogers said. “When youth go home to the same unhealthy or destructive environments, it really hinders their growth and commitment levels. Housing is just a huge need for a lot of them. To be able to provide that will really help to make them far more successful than what we’re already doing.”
Life Decisions has served more than 200 youth and provided more than 40,000 hours of relational mentoring since the nonprofit launched in 2021, Rogers said. It gets referrals from schools and the probation center, but most youth come to the program after learning about it from other mentees.
“We believe that every youth is a future leader and they just need that motivation and that little push to get to where they want to be,” said Amaya Castanon, youth coordinator for Life Decisions and a founding mentor for the nonprofit.
Castanon said she came to Rockford in eighth grade to escape a traumatic upbringing.
“That’s when I met my mentor Miss Alisha … When I met her I was a very quiet kid. I didn’t like to stand out, I didn’t like to talk because I didn’t like to take up space,” Castanon said. “She noticed that, and every Thursday she would never let me not be seen.”
Castanon was part of Life Decisions founding with Ali and Jake Rogers. She went from youth mentee to full-time staffer who mentors youth herself. She’s continuing her education to become a peer support specialist to help people overcome addiction and mental health struggles.
“Her journey is the very essence of what Life Decisions is all about,” Jake Rogers said. “She’s proof that we can create a future where every young person feels seen, known, valued, empowered and inspired to give back.”
The home is named for Rockford industrial Swan Hillman, who founded Rockford Screw Products in 1929. He and his wife, Esther, lived at the home until his death in 1965.
Rosecrance took over the property 22 years ago, first serving young women before switching its service to teenage boys. Its need for transitional housing had reduced in recent years as outpatient care has grown. So the organization decided to donate the property to Life Decisions.
“Anytime our city needs something, Rosecrance is always there,” Mayor Tom McNamara said during the ceremony. “They’re there with open arms. They’re there to make sure residents in need get exactly what they need at the time that they need it.”
This spring and summer, Life Decisions will partner with Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity to paint and restore the exterior property.
“It’s a perfect example of what happens when organizations, communities come together, and the generosity of Rosecrance to make that possible,” Rogers said. “It really becomes something meaningful and even more.”
Castanon said the home’s eventual use as transitional housing will be vital for youth, many of whom need to get away from a home that is not safe physically, mentally or emotionally.
“Our youth just need someone to see them for who they are, not what they did when they were younger or what they needed to do to survive,” she said. “We know now that this is another option to get them back on their feet and feel seen, known and valued.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas