Stepping Into Independence: Inside Wedgwood’s New Audere Transitional Living Program (11-16-25)

In this episode, host Phil Tower speaks with Dan Gowdy, President & CEO, Wedgwood Christian Services 
Dan joined us on the program to discuss Wedgwood's all-new Audere Transitional Living Program, a specialized residential treatment program designed for teens ages 15-18 who are transitioning from residential treatment to independent living.

The 10-bedroom, 7,933 SF three-story facility sits adjacent to the Wedgwood campus in Kentwood.

Dan also discussed how the Audere Transitional Living Program enhances Wedgwood’s strong commitment to fostering independent living skills within a community-integrated environment.

The transitional living space is designed to help teens continue to grow as they prepare for the next step toward independence.

Wedgwood Christian Services
Wedgwood's Audere Program

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly program designed to inform and enlighten on a
wide range of public policy issues, as well as news
and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
In this segment, we're pleased to catch up with Dan Goudie,
President and CEO Wedgwood Christian Services. Everything we talk about
and a whole lot more is at Wedgwood dot org,
weedg WOD dotrg. Some exciting news. About a month ago,

(00:37):
Wedgwood Christian Services proudly announced the opening of an all new,
audair transitional living program. This is a specialized residential treatment
program designed for young troubled teens fifteen to eighteen years
of age who have made a big step. They're transitioning
from residential treatment to independent living. This is a really

(01:00):
roundbreaking thing we're talking about worth celebrating, and there's a
bigger picture here that we're going to have to do
a part two on. But first of all, Dan Goudie,
thank you for joining us for a couple of minutes.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Bell, thank you so much, really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Let's talk about this new audeor transitional living program. It's
kind of odd. When I first saw that term dan,
I was thinking about adults, especially adults substance abuses. We've
got some transitional living programs here in West Michigan. Why
is this important? Help paint the picture for us?

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Thank you so much. Yeah, the term audare actually means
in Latin to dare or venture, and it really conveys
the idea of having the courage that a youth needs
to move forward and to kind of face the unknown.
Because for many of these youths, unfortunately who have faced
for you and I and many others, would struggle to

(01:56):
imagine the trauma that they've gone through and have made
great strike it's forward, don't have the options of a
stable family to go to once they've graduated or completed
the treatment program.

Speaker 4 (02:08):
So the their program provides that seamless transition for teens
moving from structured treatment to independent living and all that
that entails.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
These teens are coming from what kind of an environment?
Are they removed from an abusive home or a situation
where parents couldn't handle the teen's emotional or behavioral issues.
Kind of set the stage for us in terms of
how these teens are getting to that level.

Speaker 3 (02:34):
We saw mental health for teens going down before COVID
with the smartphones, forward facing cameras, Instagram, the like button
compared and to spare, we saw the trend going downhill.
And then when COVID happened, when youth had no carrying
eyes left on them, we saw in many ways mental

(02:54):
health and youth break. We call it the mental health tsunami,
and we're realizing that right now. So many of the
youth that come.

Speaker 4 (03:01):
To us are coming to us through child protective services
and some through juvenile justice adjudicated engagement, and they come
to youth dealing with some staff, and we surround that
individual as a Christian organization, extending God's love to them
and transforming lives, one child at the time and meeting
them where they're at with what they need, arms open wide,

(03:23):
and that involves some significant issues. We have a program
for youth that have been human trafficked. We have a
program for youth only one in the state, a substance
use program, and so we've seen a lot of unique
substance use situations that we've never seen before. And so
when the youth come to us, many times have been removed,

(03:47):
sometimes not of their own will, and they're unstable and
they need time to regroup and face some things in their.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
Own life that are difficult, put a plan together, work
on some of those things internally to help them move
them forward. And that's the Wedgewood Way. For months working
with that individual twenty four to seven to instill a
seat of hope you will and that's really really important.
But what we found out is that not every youth
can have a support environment to go back to. Eighty

(04:15):
five percent of our kids in our care are actually
wards of the state, and so when they graduate, they're
going right out into the community. So one of our
staff was driving down the street by MLK Park and
saw face she recognized, stopped, turn the car around, went back,
and sure enough it was one of our former residents
who had just graduated six seven months ago.

Speaker 4 (04:36):
She stopped started talking to them because they had a
strong relationship when they're in the program. She was an
important part of us life. And she asked, where are
you going? And he shugged her shoulders, almost in defeat, nowhere.
Where are you coming from the same nowhere? And it
was at that moment we realized we have to do better,
and we can do better helping prepare these kids for

(04:57):
the life that they now live. Know about you, but
I wasn't ready to live on my own when I
was sixteen years it's old, seventeen years old, right.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
That is just an incredibly powerful story, Dan Gouty, and
I just wanted to mention something too. You guys do
such great things. We did a previous conversation and segment
on your work with sexually trafficked teens and young people
earlier on this program, but one of the things that
I was really struck by, and I want to encourage

(05:27):
our listeners to check it out at Wedgwood dot org.
Have a beautiful video on your website. In fact, you've
got a number of them, but it's kind of a
collage video with a lot of your team members. And
there was a phrase in that video that just absolutely
pierced me, Dan Goudi, and the phrase was we see
through the hurt. That's what you guys at Wedgwood are
all about, seeing through the hurt. And I'm glad you

(05:49):
talked about the importance of the importance of the Addare
transitional living program. This space, which is a it's a
sizable space, ten bedroom, almost eight thousand score foot three
story facility right next to your campus in Kentwood. I
would think with ten bedrooms that probably will fill up quickly.
You told me earlier before we started this conversation on

(06:12):
the radio, there's a real crisis in terms of residential
treatment beds for teens, and we'll have another conversation about that,
but this is important locally to help with that transition.
Your hope with Audare is once someone has spent some
time in the transitional living program there on your campus,
they can find some kind of a more stable, more

(06:35):
permanent home solution. Correct.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, And it's taking that seed of hope that was
planning at Wedgwood and given the opportunity for it to
grow deep roots so it can nourish, so it can
become stronger and strengthen in times of storm because we
all have experience a stormy times and this transitional program,
it office offers twenty four to seven care, but it
has group therapy, family therapy, occupational therapy, employment training, academic

(07:02):
supports vocational supports in that regard, so helping them giving
the skills that they can continue to work on the
trauma and continue to cope with the trauma in their life.
But having the skills for them to give them the
best chance of succeeding. That for me, I think is
a good formula. Having the right supports as these teams
step down from residential care could be the difference between

(07:23):
maintaining the games that they've made well in our care
versus spiraling into this negative place. We won't be able
to erase the trauma and the traumatic childhood experiences in
many cases, but we can give them every opportunity to
keep moving forward.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Well said, that is Dan Goudie. He is President and
CEO of Wedgewood Christian Services. Dan, thank you so much
for your time. Look forward to catching up with you
again soon.

Speaker 4 (07:49):
Okay, thank you. Bill.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
You've been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan
Weekend is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio.