Robynes Nest

Robyne’s Nest provides at-risk and homeless students, who have little to no parental support, with the resources to complete high school and pursue a path to self-sufficiency.

Robyne’s Nest was founded by Robyne Wood in 2015 in response to a need she witnessed to help Huntington Beach area high school students who have little to no parental support. She started the organization to help high school students who have been abandoned, have been asked to leave through no fault of their own, or just do not have the benefit of supportive parents or guardians. Robyne’s Nest provides funds, resources and support for these young adults to create a path to successful completion of high school and education beyond. Robyne’s Nest is focused on providing basic support to at-risk students in the form of food, housing, academics, and safety. Robyne’s Nest assists students with security, routine, and a place to belong. Robyne’s Nest serves a diverse community in the Huntington Beach area and does not discriminate in any way on a basis of race/ethnicity, color, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, marital/parental status, pregnancy/childbirth or related conditions, religion, creed, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Our unique approach is being proactive in helping these transitional age youth before they drop-out of high school, become homeless on the streets/in the parks, and turn to drugs/alcohol/criminal activity. We are long term support for these students, through age 24, to help transition them to a productive, self-sufficient life and break the cycles of homelessness, addictions, abuse, mental illness and more. They are committed to being drug, alcohol, and crime free to be part of our program. Without a high school diploma and the educational foundation to become self-sustaining, these young adults will continue the toxic cycles they were raised in. We are being proactive by focusing on the maturing teen and helping them get set on a good, strong path to become self-sustaining, productive members of our community.

Accomplishments from our 2023-2024 school year: 1) Robyne’s Nest helped graduate another 8 students from high school, bringing our 9-year total to 251 students! 2) We opened Robyne’s Landing, our own transitional home, where we provide safe and stable housing for 5 students between the ages of 15 to 18 who live in the supportive care of our live-in house managers. We continue to provide housing assistance to 7 of our students who are 18 or older in our Robyne’s Nest apartments, where our Care Coordinators guide them to become self-sufficient and prepare for the future. In total this year we have provided 2,484 nights of housing for our students. 3) In addition to the students in our program, this year we supported resource insecure students in our local school communities by providing a total of $93,196 worth of food, $38,102 worth of holiday gifts, $18,584 worth of toiletries, $11,000 worth of college stipends, and 83 hours of wellness classes.

Goals for 2024-2025 school year include: 1) Continue to provide at risk high school students with support they need to graduate and be successful 2) Provide quality care coordination, mental health therapy, and related services 3) Provide safe and local housing to those most in need by creating a permanent transitional age youth housing program.

Robyne's Nest main need is financial assistance for the expansion of our programs and for our housing initiative. This enables Robyne's Nest to help at-risk students benefit from our programs described in the next module of this website. Dedicated volunteers are needed who are interested in working with at-risk students on future plans regarding careers, fundraising and/or grant writing, working in our office, or helping with events. We are also seeking to grow our business/corporate partnerships.

Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Costa Mesa, Westminster, and Newport Beach.

With so many reactive agencies in our communities trying to “fix” our broken adults, we are being proactive by focusing on the maturing teen and helping them pursue a path to self-sufficiency. It starts here and now in these formative teenage years. Without the guidance, assistance and basic necessities to thrive and learn, they will only continue to struggle. We have the opportunity and responsibility, as a community, to take care of these students and not leave them behind. Together with our community, we can help these young adults break the toxic cycles that have been carried on in their family and change their lives to become healthy, self-sufficient members of our community.

Our vision is to educate and empower our teens to become stable, productive and contributing citizens of our community. Robyne's Nest seeks assistance from the community to enable us to provide basic needs assistance, educational assistance, financial assistance, and life skills to our at risk high school students. Robyne's Nest is a small local non-profit that is primarily supported by volunteers donating their time, skills, and financial support. Approximately 20 volunteers serve in roles like assistant executive director, pantry manager, marketing manager volunteer manager, special events manager, social media manager, accountant, and other important roles. We have approximately 80 volunteers that help with events and serve as extra hands when needed. In addition, we have formed strong relationships with local businesses and organizations that provide support to our mission. Robyne's Nest seeks assistance from the community to enable us to provide basic needs assistance, educational assistance, financial assistance, and life skills to our at risk high school students. Experiencing the lives of students change due to support of the community has been rewarding and inspiring!