HOME Youth & Resource Center Blog

Computer Room Remodel!

2012-02-10T14:23:00.000-08:00

Our dear friends at First Christian Church have done it again. They made some HUGE improvements here at HOME as a result of a grant they wrote and the skills they have in their Ambassadors' Club membership. First of all, they talked with our staff to find out what we needed. They found out that we had a freezer that was not frost free or energy efficient. They’ve been in our kitchen enough to see that one of our stoves was basically an antique. Oh yes, and it was hard to miss the big cracks in the linoleum on our kitchen floor.

And they could easily look into our computer room and tell that it needed some help.

So the Ambassadors' Club, led by Bud R., developed a plan and wrote a grant to accommodate our needs.

For two weekends in January, several volunteers spent many hours installing new linoleum, a new stove and freezer, taking out the old ones, and removing the old desks etc. in our computer room.

These are HARD workers. They built desks, shelving, and cubbies then installed them and painted the room.

They purchased 4 computers, monitors, and office chairs then brought them in. (Several HOME staff have their eyes on those NICE chairs – can we trade?)

We now have a frost free freezer, a large crock pot, a stove with a flat cooktop that’s easy to clean, and new linoleum on the kitchen floor that looks beautiful. BUT, the centerpiece of all the efforts is our new Computer Room.

It’s in nearly constant use and, since that’s an activity that we track, we’ll be able to see how many more youth use the computers now. We also regulate their time on the computers so they need to request a computer, get assigned one, and can only spend 15 minutes at a time.

BIG THANKS, once again, to the Ambassadors' Club at First Christian Church.

A Generous Gift

2012-02-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

HOME received a letter the other day, along with a check for $100.The generous donor was more than 90 years old and because of his experiences asa homeless teenager, he wanted to help some of today’s youth. Here is what theletter said:

“I wanted to send a check to HOME Youth and Resource Center. Onceupon a time, I became homeless. Getting an education was the answer for me. Iam now 93 years old and living well.

At age 17, I was homeless. Please use this check where it ismost needed.”

Two things come to mind with this gift. One is that being ahomeless teen is not unique to the current generation, although many people seemto feel that it is. Sometimes, when we go speak to community groups, thereare people in the audience who say things such as, “we didn’t need or have placeslike yours when I was growing up.” They have trouble accepting the fact thatthere are youth that do not have a safe place to go and that this has always beenthe case.

The other thing that comes to mind is how many people, regardless of age,understand the value of services such as HOME. Often this is due to theirown experiences as they grew up or they know of a teen that has experiencedabuse, neglect or homelessness. Quite often we hear from these folks, “I wishthere had been a place like HOME when I (or my child/niece/friend’s child/etc.) wasgrowing up. My (their) life might have been easier.”

Peggy Introduces Nichole

2012-01-31T01:28:00.000-08:00

Those of you who have been reading our blogs will note that there's been, well, a gap lately. December is our busiest month of the year: people calling daily to see what we need for Christmas and then stopping by to deliver their gifts; organizing those gifts in our Gift Room, including passing along any that we cannot use; coordinating our volunteers; fund-raising events such as selling our jelly bean jars and Pietro's Pizza Night; also tracking financial donations and acknowledging them. All of this culminates in our holiday party and dinner which is just before Christmas.

It's really been a wonderful month. The generosity of our community is amazing. The gratefulness of the youth for what amounts to very basic gifts is rewarding. The energy and excitement level was pretty constant all month.

That's my explanation for so little blogging lately. And now I'd like to introduce Nichole, a practicum student from Willamette University who will be taking on our blog and Facebook duties for a while.

Hello everyone! I'm Nichole, a senior at Willamette University, doing my final senior experience studies at HOME to complete my Sociology major. I've volunteered for a few days now and I'm happy to say that I think this will be a rewarding experience and I'm excited to get to know everyone. HOME is such an awesome place that really reaches out to the youth in Salem and I'm so glad to be a part of that makes an effort to be a positive aspect in a youth's life. I'll be updating the blog with my experiences throughout my time here, so check back often.

Holiday Party

2012-01-31T00:43:00.000-08:00

The day began with craft projects led by volunteers—Nancy with her beading and Rosa with Christmas balls, which several youth painted and glittered. Santa stopped by on loan from HOST with some candy and McDonalds gift certificates. He had his picture taken with 42 youth.

Salem Emblem Club donated Christmas frames so after the photos were printed up, the teens received a framed picture of themselves with Santa.

Once again, members from 1^st Christian Church helped out by preparing a delicious ham dinner. At least 53 youth had dinner, plus approximately 10 former HOME kids (over 18 years old now) came back to visit. Two brought their own little ones. With volunteers and staff, the total was about 70 served.

Youth passed through the Gift Room starting at 4pm and the last teens finished their selections at 6:30pm. A total of 73 youth participated. There were two staff helping three youth at a time make their gift choices. Youth first selected backpacks and then were guided through the room while being instructed on the types of items available and the number they could take. Everyone was given the choice of a pair of socks, gloves, a scarf, a hat, make-up and chapstick, a hoodie, a warm coat, two gifts from the gifts table, a blanket, and other items including stuffed animals, shirts, pajama pants, and shoes. Everyone was so appreciative. As hectic as it was, it was a happy time to celebrate the season of giving.

Molly, our VISTA member, was in charge of expanding our Backpack Project as well as coordinating donations and she performed both tasks admirably. Willamette University started a Backpack Project for HOME several years ago. Different departments within the school are challenged to collect backpacks as well as items to put into them. Molly worked with Willamette but also enlisted other organizations to help. Last year approximately 50 backpacks were available for HOME teens; this year there were 70. Backpacks were collected from a variety of businesses, agencies, and individuals.

The CREW Gets an Award from the MAYOR !!

2011-09-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our Crew was nominated for – and won – the very special Mayor’s Youth Achievement Award, given out each year to an individual or group which has done outstanding work for the community.

Members of CREW posing as they wait in the audience.

CREW was in stellar company during the Volunteer Recognition Awards ceremony on Sept. 14, at Salem’s Peace Plaza, where individuals, groups and projects were honored for their efforts. Mayor Anna Peterson read CREW’s nomination to the audience and then, along with members of the City Council, presented the award to CREW.

Mayor Peterson reads about CREW

Well done, CREW!! And thank you to the City of Salem for recognizing the work of so many generous members of our community.

2010-2011 - Year in Review

2011-08-25T14:55:00.001-07:00

We've recently completed our reporting for our most recent fiscal year, ending June 30, 2011.

We're very proud of the work we do to assist the community's at-risk and homeless youth. Here is a summary from our year-end report:

Total youth served 895
New youth seen last year 538
Youth continued from previous year 357
Meals served 6700
Youth employed as cook & janitor 10
Clothing & toiletry items distributed 3420 items to 260 youth
Food boxes for youth & families 124
Volunteers helping at HOME & hours 94 volunteers/2065 hours
Small grants and donations about $25,000

We ask the youth to evaluate our services each year. This year, 50 teens filled out the survey anonymously. Some of their responses were:

84-86% reported that HOME helped them to "feel good about myself", "get along with others", "make and keep friends", and "learn I could do things I didn't think I could do".
The top 3 ways HOME helped them were as a safe, positive place to hang out, a place to have a meal, and a place where they could find "someone to talk to".

In answer to the question "How else has HOME helped you?" they responded

“The Staff has always been there for me when I need someone to talk to”
“I’ve gotten through a lot of personal problems with the staff’s help”
“Makes me feel wanted”
“they helped me get a job and that helped me get job experience”,
“they encouraged me to stay in school”
“Helped me get over depression”
“Kept me comforted from doing something stupid”
"they're nice, they gave me a trustworthy person to talk to"
"They're pretty awesome"
"I love HOME"
"It makes me so happy when I am here”

Japanese Students Visit HOME - THANK YOU!!

2011-08-12T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last April I was contacted by the Hands On Volunteer Project Coordinator about HOME being a site for students from Tokyo International University (TIU) participating in summer service trips.

The theme of the trips is Homelessness and Hunger. The students might clean or prepare a meal and we would take the time to explain to them what we do here at HOME and why it is important, especially around the issues of homelessness and hunger.

We have had TIU students come to HOME each year for several years and it’s been a mutually beneficial experience. I said yes.

It can be a challenge when we have groups come to HOME to have their needs for productive activity met at the same time our staff and youth don’t feel intruded upon. We’ve learned to limit the numbers in a group to, ideally, no more than 7 or 8 or they begin to overwhelm our facility. I also develop a list of tasks to which they can assign themselves.

With a little bit of planning and oversight, volunteer groups bring energy and enthusiasm to tasks that need to be done but which our staff can often not accomplish. They also come away, hopefully, with some insight into the lives of the young people who come to HOME.

And so it happened with our visit from TIU students.

Right away they were surprised by a welcome sign in English and Japanese done by one of the youth who is taking Japanese in school.

Incidentally, this young person prepared the sign without prompting by any adult and even had the HOME staff and youth sign it.

It was an excellent meal!

They were a cheerful, industrious group.

Another wonderful experience with TIU students! THANKS for all your help!!

Thanks, First Christian Church!!

2011-08-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

Our very special partners at First Christian Church notified us that they were ready for a Spring Project. They came by to meet with us and look around, settling on building some much needed shelving in our pantry as well as replacing the ancient shades covering our windows in the dining area and office. It was a two-part project, one on Memorial Day Weekend and then another Sunday in July for a total of about 45-50 hours worth of hard labor. The first day they began work on the shelves, dusted, mopped, organized, cleaned, vacuumed, swept inside and out and the place just sparkled! AND they got us some new blinds to replace the decades old ones.

Window Washing

Building shelves for the pantry

Spiffing up our pantry

The next session was spent finishing up with the shelving AND weed wacking the front yard! What a great group this is – they’re a bunch of retired folks who aren’t happy to just sit around relaxing. They work hard and we’re so lucky to have them as friends and neighbors.

Before the weeds were whacked

After the Weed Whacker!

New blinds too - they look great!! In the office....

And new blinds in the dining room!!

THANK YOU, Ambassadors Club of the First Christian Church!

The CREW Goes to City Council

2011-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Since HOME receives funds from the City of Salem, we are required to briefly present our program annually at a City Council meeting. Advisory board members suggested I bring our CREW along when I spoke early in June. The CREW consists of youth from HOME who meet regularly and perform community service projects. The group also received a small grant from the City as part of the Teen Action Team Program, were the only group not affiliated with a high school yet are one of the most active of those teams.

It sounded like a great idea but it meant getting CREW members to City Hall on a night that HOME had to close early due to lack of staff. CREW had to get themselves to City Hall from HOME without an adult since we didn’t have staff to walk them the several blocks from HOME to City Hall.

There was some confusion during the day amongst CREW as to where City Hall is located and I wasn’t sure who, if any, would show up. When I arrived I was so proud and thrilled to see there were 8 of them waiting. I explained that I would introduce them and talk about how wonderful they are. Which I did. After my brief speech, I asked CREW members to stand up and the Mayor and City Council members all clapped for them. I had mentioned that I didn’t “bring” CREW; they all walked there. The Mayor said to CREW that she hoped that would not be the only time they’d ever attend a City Council meeting and thanked them for coming.

It was very cool experience for CREW!

A Runaway's Partial Story

2011-05-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

(I do miss Alex, our Willamette University intern, who graciously blogged for us - among many other things - during her time at HOME. Best of luck to her as she graduates and moves on in her life. I know Alex'll do wonderfully well wherever she finds herself. I'll pick my blogging pen back up and try to maintain Alex's enthusiasm and commitment.)

“Sara”, a chronically homeless girl aged 15 years who occasionally came to HOME, began associating with a group of homeless young adult males. After a few weeks, Sara hitched a ride to California with the young men. With Sara’s history of abuse, drug use, depression, and unsafe sexuality, we were extremely concerned about her safety and kept in close contact with Sara’s family as well as the Salem Police Department. Sara was soon located in Los Angeles walking the streets alone after being abandoned by her male companions. A local homeless woman found our girl and took her to a youth shelter.

The family contacted us frantically asking what could be done to get their daughter back safely to Oregon. Our RHY team worked with Sara’s family, the Los Angeles youth shelter and the National Runaway Switchboard to obtain a bus pass for Sarah to return back home where she was reunited with her family. While on the run and traveling to California, Sara was emotionally traumatized by the things she experienced and witnessed.

Just returning home is never the end of the story. We continue to work with both mom and Sara in obtaining local support and services to address this trauma as well as the underlying factors that triggered her run responses in the first place.

Some final thoughts from a lucky Intern

2011-05-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well unfortunately, as the school year draws to an end so does my time as an intern here at HOME. When I first became an intern I didn’t really know what to expect from HOME or what my role was going to be. But as we worked together we figured it out. What I had first expected was basically interaction with the youth, spending time talking with them and hanging out and seeing how I could be helpful. But since I was only here once a week it was a little more difficult to develop those relationships than I thought. I mean I could definitely hang out and have casual conversation but I guess didn’t develop the relationships that I at first expected. However, the longer I was here the more I realized that these youth have wonderful relationships with the other staff here at HOME. The staff that are here every day and have been here a while are great and have earned their friendships with the youth. Even though this part of the internship didn’t turn out quite as I thought, I was able to make myself useful in other ways. I loved being able to do this blog to keep people in the Salem community aware of what goes on here at HOME and all of the awesome youth that come here, and also hopefully raise some awareness about the issues that we as a community are facing. I also enjoyed getting to be a part of some grant writing. Now that doesn’t seem very exciting and I’m sure the more I had to do it the more frustrating it would get, but I really liked that it was something that I could do to take off the plate of the other staff. Peggy, the Outreach Team, and the HOME staff all have sooooo much to do all the time and if I could do something, that would hopefully be beneficial to the HOME program, I was very happy to do so. I learned so much about what it takes to run an organization like this one and how much of a struggle it is to get funding and I am just so amazed at how they do it all. I consider myself lucky to have been able to work here and contribute to this program in any way I could. Thank you for reading and please don’t stop! Just because my time as an intern is done doesn’t mean the blog still won’t be updated and let you know of the awesome, amazing, wonderful, and fun things happening at HOME!!

Overcoming Adversity

2011-05-05T14:30:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, HOME’s Outreach workers met an autistic youth who was sleeping in Wilson and Minto Brown Island parks. Life in parks and homeless camps kept him surrounded by abuse, drug addiction, and survival sex. As a result, he felt distrust and disconnected from the community as a whole.

The team established a trusting relationship with the youth who began coming to HOME for the positive, safe environment, meals and other basic needs assistance. Working with the RHY Team and community partners, he was accepted into Job Corps. The experience at Job Corps was quite a challenge and he often wanted to quit. He frequently called HOME to talk with staff and, when he had breaks, would stop by for visits. With this support and that of the Job Corps staff, along with his personal strong commitment, he recently graduated from the program having gained self discipline, a sense of self worth, and needed employment skills.

He came into our office this month to let us know he has been accepted at Linn Benton Community College. He stated that without the support of HOME and the RHY Program he would still be homeless and living on the streets of Salem. He hopes one day to tell his story to local youth and community members so that he may bring hope and encouragement to youth who have found themselves in similar circumstances.

Accomplishments and New Beginnings

2011-05-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Today we have another story of a youth from the Salem community working to create positive change in her own life. This teen who has experienced both abuse and homelessness, regularly comes to HOME where Sophia, our Outreach Worker, heard her talking about needing help finding a job. Sophia offered to help and they began working on creating a resume. They focused on turning in applications to employers, and even conducted mock interviews for practice and skill building.

Later that week, this youth used some of these new skills to seek employment. After turning in an application and resume to a local restaurant, she was encouraged by HOME staff to call and ask about an interview. She did so and was asked to return in two days for an interview. She recently excitedly announced that she was hired! We are especially proud of her for her work in overcoming an educational barrier, physical abuse, and a history of depression. This job is more then just a paycheck. It is a first step to accessing safe shelter, rebuilding her self esteem, and promoting the positive future she sees for herself.

This youth, like so many others we see here at HOME, prove that there are "at risk" youth who are willing to work hard to make changes in their lives. They are not idly sitting by waiting for someone to give them a hand-out or for opportunity to fall in their laps. These youth are actively engaging in ways to create opportunity for themselves and to make change. HOME is a place that provides some logistical and emotional support but the motivation comes from within the youth.

Hookah: Its popularity and its problems

2011-04-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share a little bit with you about the rise in popularity of smoking hookah. Nationwide and in Oregon the popularity of smoking this flavored tobacco is increasing. In a recent article posted on KTVZ.com, students from a high school in Bend were interviewed about the presence and popularity of hookah amongst their peers. One youth stated “’it’s more of a social thing… with hookah you have to set it all up and just sit around in a circle and smoke’” and a survey of the youth showed “hookahs are a common fixture at parties and friends’ homes”. This specific survey showed that students do not understand the similarities between the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes and those with smoking hookah. For example, “hookah pipes produce much more smoke than cigarettes…and contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals and toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide”. This makes smoking hookah not only dangerous for those actually smoking but also puts those in the vicinity at a higher health risk due to second hand smoke. This is just informational but we hope that youth continue to explore these issues before deciding to participate in smoking hookah.

Spring Celebration!

2011-04-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

On Friday the 22^nd we had a Spring Celebration here at HOME. There was a ham dinner complete with stuffing, corn, and a delicious fun fetti cake! There were 21 youth who had dinner with us that night! Two of the staff, Sophia and Sara, also made the day fun by having an egg hunt with plastic eggs filled with candy and possibly even prizes. There were ~160 eggs total!!! All in all the day was a fun departure from the norm and ended up being a good time J Girls group also tie-dyed t-shirts in celebration of spring time! They turned out awesome!

Look at all those eggs!!!

Nice Shirt Sophia!

Some Personal Stories of Changing Lives

2011-04-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

In the next few posts, we would like to share with you some personal stories from youth here at HOME that will illuminate the struggles that youth in Salem are facing and what HOME and partner organizations are doing to engage with these youth and get them the information, connections, and assistance they need.

First off, we had a 16 year old in need of an Oregon ID card in order to obtain a job. This young man was hesitant to let us know that his family was living in poverty. The sixteen year old wished to begin finding employment to aid his family while continuing to work on his education. Due to our limited funds we asked the youth to attempt to take the less expensive permit test instead of get his Oregon ID because it would reduce our cost by almost half. The youth tried his best, but due to a learning disability he was unable to apply for the permit. “I tried so hard, but just couldn’t do it”, he said when back at the office. “I don’t know where else to go or what to do. My family is too poor to help me get my ID on our own”. As all of the information and multiple barriers came to light our staff decided to fund his Oregon ID card, which he received.

This story shows the increasing need for preventative measures for youth and families. Every week we hear stories like this one in which local families are struggling. Preventative services can, and do, aid in reducing barriers that can cause family stress, financial strain, and potential run responses. In Marion County, and across the nation, family conflict is cited as the number one reason for a youth to leave home. We have found that some older youth are asked to leave home – even if they have nowhere to go - because parents cannot afford to provide for them. ID cards are required in Oregon to get a job, complete a GED, and are a legal requirement after the age of 18. The funds to help these youth are very limited but IDs can mean the difference between a child staying at home or being asked to leave.

Stories like this one, we hope, are able to show what HOME and other organizations in Salem are doing to assist the youth in our community. Without the financial and emotional support of the Salem community, organizations like HOME and others we work with would not survive. For that we thank you! Check back again soon for some more stories from the Blog Book!

CREW

2011-04-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

Some of the most recent news from HOME is the work CREW has been doing. CREW is a group of youth who frequent HOME and do community service oriented tasks for HOME and the surrounding community. In the past they have done things like rake leaves for those in the surrounding community and most recently have been working on “flower boxes”. These large flower boxes were build by CREW youth and are currently in front of HOME waiting to be planted. CREW plans to plant these boxes with all different kinds of vegetables and spices, the things you would need to make a good homegrown salad or salsa. YUM! These foods will be available to the youth at HOME! We are excited to see the work they have been doing come to life J

In other news from the Blog Book, a youth wanted to share that he passed his first placement test on his way to getting his GED!! Congratulations!!!!

Fun Stuff Going On!

2011-04-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

In the recent weeks much has been happening here at HOME! We had free haircuts given in the basement 2 weeks ago, a hit like always. We also had a volunteer group from Chemeketa come and do some much-needed work around HOME. They organized the clothing closets, which definitely needed it! Now they are clean and organized so youth can easily see what is in there and be able to find the things they need/want. This group also organized a pool tournament in the basement that took place Monday the 7^th. They had a bracket and multiple games with the winner getting the glory of 1^st place as well as a candy bar. It was a lot of fun and a big hit! Not much to report from the Blog Book but hopefully we will get some more comments soon. Thanks for reading!

HOME's Blog Book

2011-04-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hello HOME Blog Readers!

My name is Alex and I am a student over at Willamette University. This semester I am interning here at HOME Youth and Resource Center and have agreed to take over the task of updating the blog =) What this means is that there will now be semi weekly posts updating you on what is going on here at HOME! We have created what we call "the blog book" where throughout the week volunteers, staff and youth can write about what has been going on at HOME and what they would like to share with you. I will then post some of this information to the blog so you can stay up-to-date and informed. Please feel free to comment; what you thought, what you liked, what you would like to hear more about.

With the blog book out last week we got some responses from the youth who wanted to share what HOME means to them:

“Well, HOME has done a lot for me the 5 years I’ve been here. AT the beginning one of the staff let me cry on her shoulder about a silly break-up. Then, during Christmas time, I got a warm jacket that I ended up really needing. They give me a safe place to come when I’m downtown and I know I don’t have to worry about drama and all that BS. The Drop-In has opened a place in my heart for me to meet new people and make new friends. I don’t know where I’d be without the Drop-In. <3”

“I had a rough day but when I got to the Drop-In I had fun. I love HOME!!!”

There were about 5 more youth who shared what HOME meant to them in the book all saying how they appreciated HOME because it was a safe and fun place for them to be with friends.

In celebration of Valentines Day there was a Valentines craft day (last Friday) and a special Valentine’s Day cake will be served with dinner tonight!

Look for more information about the happenings at HOME soon!

Holiday Giving

2011-01-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

I've just finished - I think!- getting off all of our thank you's to the groups and individuals who so generously donated to HOME over the holidays. Since some of the people do not wish their name to be published, I will only list here the groups who helped out. This will still not be a complete list as often someone would drop off items and then leave without our getting their names. So, in alphabetical order, here is a list of the wonderful folks who helped make the holidays brighter and happier for more than 50 at-risk and homeless teens here at HOME. Some donated money, others donated items from our Wish List...they all helped immensely.

BIG THANK YOU TO:
Awana Club
Blanchette School
Capitol Forum
Chemeketa Business & Industry
City of Salem Community Development Dept.
Comfort Suites
Exit Real World
Holy Cross Lutheran Church
First Christian Church
First Church of the Nazarene
First United Methodist Church
Marion County Juvenile Dept.
The Lunch Bunch
Madrona Hills Knitting Group
Mid-Valley Quilt Guild
Oregon State Penitentiary/7 Step Program
Salem Bridge Club
Salem Emblem Club
South Salem High School Freshman Advisors
Southside Speakeasy
The Springs
Walker Middle School Counseling Dept.
West Salem Dream Center
Willamette University

We're sure to have left out folks and, in anticipation, apologise now for any omissions.

Here are a few pictures of those who helped:

Shawna and Sophia from HOME on the right welcome our neighbors from Chemeketa's Center for Business & Industry bearing the last load of many wonderful gifts.

Festively dressed, Cassie Heffley and co-worker from the Center for Business & Industry, return to work with their empty cart.

Carly Garrison, left, presents Peggy Kahan, HOME's Program Director (me) with special gifts for individual youth selected for the Giving Tree which Carly, an intern with the school district, coordinated. We'd always avoided a Giving Tree because

we felt it would be too difficult to just pick a few teens to benefit. However, Carly was willing to volunteer and get gifts and our staff felt it was an idea worth pursuing. And so it happened and Carly succeeded in her solicitations beyond all expectations. Exit Real World was an awesome contributor, as you can see, along with Jambo Juice and individuals who donated to this effort.

Members of First Christian Church prepared a delicious ham dinner for about 50 youth plus staff and volunteers.

Generosity for at-risk and homeless teens

2010-12-20T16:18:00.000-08:00

The holiday season always seems to bring out the generous spirits in our community and this year is no different. In just the past two days, we've experienced the following here at HOME:
- A longtime friend of HOME dropped off a check and a smoked turkey.
- A doctor's office brought by cash totalling $100 and assorted items from our Wish List
- A generous lady brought by 15 NEW BACKPACKS plus games and clothing
- Two festively dressed employees of Chemeketa's Center for Business & Industry (our neighbor) walked two FULL carts carrying LOTS of backpacks, games, toiletries and other items down the street to HOME.
- A couple brought in a used guitar, along with a check. The youth here LOVE to sit around and listen to/strum guitars. The two we have currently only have 4 strings each. (They should have 6).
- St. Marks Lutheran Church has 10 gift cards for $25 for us to distribute.
- A student at Central High School in Independence held a teen clothing drive for HOME as a senior project. Today he brought several boxes and bags worth of shoes and clothes, separated by gender.
- Employees from SAIF brought by a great assortment of backpacks and other items from our Wish List.
- The Youth Junk 2 Fashion Funk Team from Blanchette Catholic School sent me their very creative flyer for the fashion show fund-raiser they're putting on for HOME in January. Here's the link:

http://youthjunkfashionfunk.webs.com/. What a creative and enthusiastic group!

With all this largesse coming in, it would be pretty overwhelming for our small staff to deal with. HOWEVER, we've been blessed AGAIN with a volunteer who's a perfect match for the monumental task of organizing it all. I first met Jennifer Hofman several years ago when she worked on the Backpack Project for HOME at Willamette University.

Jen is one of those people who looks at clutter and, instead of fainting, is able to see the order in things. In fact, she now has an online business helping others, especially people with home businesses, to get -and stay - on top of that chaos. She's taking a brief break from her business during the holidays and what does she do with her valuable free time? Volunteers here at HOME, organizing our holiday gift room. And doing an awesome job, too.

(Here's Jen's website: Inspiredhomeoffice.com)

Speaking of which, I've got to start tackling the piles in my office and beginning sending out Thank You notes to all these wonderful people who are making the holidays so special for the teens who come to HOME.

November Events

2010-12-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Obviously my best intentions on writing to this blog on a regular basis were just that...intentions. As with most non-profits, the holiday season is always a little bit crazy and it all starts with Thanksgiving.

Actually, it started before Thanksgiving. The Springs at Sunnyview Retirement and Independent Living Center planned and cooked an awesome fried chicken dinner with all the fixings here at HOME. They also brought over a wonderful assortment of items and gift certificates that are very useful here. Here is the Chef and her assistants:

Then our "Crew", a group of HOME youth who meet weekly and plan community service projects, spent an hour - or two - raking up ALL the leaves in front of our house and our neighbors. About 10 bags worth plus a big yard debris bin. Here are the bags.

And here is the Crew raking.

Our neighbor, Lady Web Pro, who also helps with our website maintenance and does an awesome job by the way, appreciated having her sidewalk all swept off, and brought over several boxes of the always popular fried chicken and salads. Lucky us to have fried chicken twice in one month!! It's way too labor intensive for us to prepare here so we very rarely serve it.

We were closed for Thanksgiving Day and Friday, but planned our big Thanksgiving dinner here for Wednesday. We were very fortunate to have our neighbors at First Christian Church prepare our meal here for about 35-40 teens plus staff and volunteers. Here's a picture of the tireless church folks cooking the meal

We also had members of the Willamette Soccer Team do some cleaning for us on a Saturday. Since we hire one of our youth to do our cooking and cleaning, we rarely get any heavy duty deep cleaning done. So the guys really tackled the floors and dust for us. And here's a picure of them on our front steps:

The Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend usually marks the beginning of our holiday season at the Capitol Forum's Charity event. HOME and the Women's Crisis Service have been lucky recipients of this fund-raiser for about 10 years now. Quite often businesses and clubs like to rotate their giving and it seems rare to be beneficiaries like this for so long. Even during this tough economy, the event raised about $1,000 for each of us and we are VERY APPRECIATIVE.

Three Cheers for all of the above for your help and support!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH

Kurt's Story

2010-11-16T16:19:00.000-08:00

"These kids, the only reason they're homeless is because they don't want to a. follow their parents' rules or b. get a job."
That statement is a common stereotype felt by many people in our community.
A goal of this blog is to present some experiences and stories from our work here at HOME that will lend a more complete picture of runaway and homeless teens in Salem. We'll change names and sometimes other identifying features and try to put a few weeks or months' distance between the actual events and the blog. Here's our first story:

Kurt (not his real name)first came to HOME in the spring and only visited once. However, Kurt’s circumstances soon changed and he became homeless. He moved in with another family that was already stretched thin, trying to make ends meet. After a few weeks Kurt became a burden to the new family and was given less than a week to begin helping out or he would need to leave. Kurt had nowhere else to go and was a teen without any kind of identification or means to obtain them.

He began coming more to HOME, having meals there and picking up clothing and toiletries. Working with our Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY)staff, Kurt obtained food stamps and went on the Oregon Health Plan.

The school district’s Homeless Education Program assisted him with obtaining his social security card and birth certificate. Our RHY staff then helped Kurt through the complicated steps at the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain an Oregon ID card. Armed with these necessary identification pieces, he is now applying for jobs. The food stamps have enabled him to remain with the same family, in a safe living situation and contribute to the household. Kurt continues to come to HOME for meals, to meet with his case managers, attend school and to enjoy normal teen activities.

November is Homeless Youth Awareness Month

2010-11-09T17:14:00.000-08:00

Probably not a lot of folks know this is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, not even people who work with homeless youth. I'm pretty sure most homeless teens don't much care; they've got other things to deal with.
Congress made the declaration back in 2007 and it serves to increase awareness of this ongoing and growing issue. Here are some facts:

National statistics report the number of homeless kids at more than 1.5 million.
The average age of first homelessness is 14.7 years.
Most homeless adults first experienced homelessness as a teen. In other words, unless there are intervening circumstances many teens will continue in their homelessness as they become adults.
Approximately 24,000 teens are living on the streets, in shelters, temporarily in other people's homes, with or without their families on any given night in the State of Oregon.
Last year nearly 1,000 students in the Salem Keizer School District were identified as not having stable housing.
The most common reason for teen homelessness is family dysfunction.

Last night at the City Council meeting, Salem's Mayor Janet Taylor proclaimed November as Homeless Youth Awareness Month. The Proclamation read, in part,

"Whereas many homeless youth have been physically, sexually, and emotionally abused or neglected by their guardians and are frequently re-victimized and exploited while living on the streets and in shelters; and,
Whereas many homeless youth face possible risks such as dropping out of school, inadequate social skills development, unemployment, living in poverty, delayed mental or physical development, turning to crime for survival, substance addictions, human trafficking and even death;
I, Janet Taylor, call on the people of Salem, Oregon to recognize the potential of all of our City's young people, to heighten the awareness of the tragedy of youth homelessness and its causes, and to develop innovative resources and opportunities that improve the lives of our homeless youth and families;
I Hereby Proclaim November 2010 as Homeless Youth Awareness Month."

Our own Shawna Canaga, Community Advocate and Case Manager spoke briefly about some local issues, followed by staff from NW Human Services and the City of Salem.

Who knows if this will lead to anything but at least it is another step in raising our community's awareness for the circumstances surrounding many of our own young people.

Volunteers!

2010-10-20T12:36:00.001-07:00

We LOVE volunteers here at HOME Youth & Resource Center. Since we have such a small staff - and limited financial resources - we really would have trouble functioning without the help of volunteers. They come from all over - churches, colleges, businesses. Some come once for a specific project, others carve out a regular part of their life to spend time here. Last year, 276 volunteers contributed 3177 hours here and THAT'S pretty impressive. (We were so fortunate to have an AmeriCorps member, Gerald Pygott, develop our volunteer management program last year)

We were very lucky to have the energetic Ambassador's Club from 1st Christian Church - one of our neighbors - "adopt" us last year and made up a fair portion of those hours. They painted rooms, laid carpet tiles all OVER, designed a space for our garbage bins, fixed Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. And there's more...When we said we needed a bicycle stand so that youth could lock their bikes up and not leave them laying around, the group bought and installed one for us.
AND, they removed our old basketball stand and replaced the entire area with cement. The project became a HOME event as staff, youth and volunteers enjoyed a BBQ dinner (cooked by Gerald, also a professional chef) and made a "lasting impression" by putting their handprints into the cement.
What an awesome group!! Here are some pictures of the event:

Fall is when we begin lining up college students and other volunteers for the coming months. The Ambassador Club has already offered to prepare our Thanksgiving dinner for us. And we've already got students from Chemeketa, Willamette and Western Oregon commited to helping out in a variety of ways.

Three cheers for volunteers!!

Our First Blog!

2010-10-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is pretty exciting. And a little intimidating but I may as well just jump in.
Our hope is to use this blog for news about HOME Youth & Resource Center events and activities. And stories. But also, we want to inform our readers about the young people who come to HOME every day. Why they come, what they're living with, how we - and you - can help them. Some of our teens are runaways or homeless and we want to let our readers know all about those issues. Why a 15 year old would be living in a truck or homeless camp for example.
AND, first of all, we want to thank Lady Web Pro for all of her assistance with our website and setting up this blog. She's the BEST and, if you ever need help with website design and maintenance, check her out!