City of San Diego opens new homeless shelter for young adults
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The city of San Diego's shelter for homeless young adults is set to double its capacity after moving into a new site, an underutilized office space in downtown.
The new facility falls under the umbrella of the city's Safe STAY program for unhoused, transition-aged adults — or those between the ages of 18 and 24 — and will replace the existing 21 beds currently available across two interim sites that became available last year.
The East Village shelter is able to accommodate 43 people in a semi-congregate setting, meaning beds are located within cubicles or in a shared room that offers more privacy than traditional shelter spaces.
Growing homeless encampment in a City Heights neighborhood is worrying residents
Like the program's interim shelters, the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC) is contracting the San Diego LGBT Community Center, also known as The Center, to operate the facility in partnership with San Diego Youth Services and the YMCA of San Diego County.
All three are leasing the space for the shelter from SDHC, which owns the building and had previously used it as office space up until the COVID-19 pandemic.
City leaders viewed the vacancy in the building paired with its proximity to transit and schools, like San Diego Community College, as the ideal location for a long-term site to fill the gap left by the closure of Golden Hall, where the Safe STAY program was initially run.
'Transition-age youth is a huge need and a gap in our current system, so when we got the response with these three great partners working together, it seemed like the perfect opportunity,' Jones said.
San Diego leaders first previewed the new shelter nearly one year ago as the city's first permanent emergency housing center supporting homeless young adults in the LGBTQ+ community, made possible by a $1.5 million federal grant.
The funding had been requested by U.S. Rep. Scott Peters (D-San Diego) as part of Congress' annual appropriations process for local projects.
City housing commission approves 210-bed homeless shelter for women, families
While the shelter will maintain an emphasis on LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, Jones says it will serve as emergency housing and supportive services for all young adults in need, helping them to get on a path to long-term housing.
Those currently staying in the Safe STAY program's existing beds will be moved to the new East Village site sometime within the next two weeks, according to SDHC. It will then be opened up to those currently in the city's coordinated shelter intake program, which identifies and matches people who receive a referral for a shelter bed with one available.
Jones said the goal is to keep the shelter open 'as long as they need a place to stay,' but noted there will still need to be conversations down the road about the city's ongoing commitment to keep it up and running.
The Safe STAY program currently has an annual operating budget of $1.9 million that will be put towards supporting the costs of operating the site, according to SDHC.
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Chicago Tribune
20 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Pope Leo XIV encourages peace and harmony at Chicago's Rate Field celebration
Pope Leo XIV spoke directly to the young people scattered throughout the audience at Rate Field Saturday afternoon, telling them that they are the 'promise of hope' and that the world looks to them to help spread a message of peace and harmony among all people. 'We have to look beyond our own, if you will, egotistical ways. We have to look for ways of coming together and promoting the message of hope,' Pope Leo XIV said in a video broadcast across the stadium. 'St. Augustine says to us that if we want the world to be a better place, we have to begin with ourselves. We have to begin with our own lives, our own hearts.' The recently elevated pontiff and South Side native shared a message of unity and hope to the thousands of faithful at a celebration of his election Saturday afternoon at Rate Field in the Bridgeport neighborhood. Around the stadium, the audience listened raptly to the approximately 10-minute video from the Chicago-born pope. Pope Leo XIV encouraged those in attendance and others watching online to build community and friendship in their daily lives and in their parishes, especially after the isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said many people who suffer from depression or sadness 'can discover that the love of God is truly healing.' 'When I see each and every one of you, when I see how people gather together to celebrate their faith and discover myself how much hope there is in the world,' Leo said. Aside from a personal message from the pope, the event, which had a $5 ticket price, featured music, prayer and a 4 p.m. Mass. There was a performance of both the U.S. and Peruvian national anthems to honor Pope Leo XIV's ties to both countries, and speeches from various faith leaders, including the Rev. John Merkelis, a high school classmate of the pope's and president of Providence Catholic High School. 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'He plays Wordle with his brother, and I'm on a team of people that play Wordle. So we made this vow that every time we post on Wordle we're going to write 'pray for Leo,'' Merkelis recounted. 'I sent him the screenshot of all our responses, and just a few days ago he emailed back and said thanks for the prayers.' Sister Dianne Bergant, a former teacher of Pope Leo XIV's at the Catholic Theological Union, where he earned his master's in divinity, said he was a good student, which she can prove because she didn't throw out her grade lists. The crowd laughed when she said his success must speak to the quality of the city's education. 'Everyone is involved. Everyone belongs to church. Everyone is a missionary in a very real sense, and that's the theology on which he grew,' she said. Robert Prevost, a missionary who became the first American to helm the Catholic Church, was born in 1955 at Mercy Hospital in the Bronzeville neighborhood, and grew up in south suburban Dolton with his parents and two brothers. He attended school and served as an altar boy at St. Mary of the Assumption parish on the Far South Side, where one classmate remembered him as the 'pride and joy of every priest and nun.' He's also a longtime White Sox fan. The pope donned a White Sox baseball cap as he met newly wedded couples in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday, and his brief appearance during the television broadcast of Game 1 of the 2005 World Series resurfaced and went viral. 'Pope Leo defines and represents the fabric and the heartbeat of the city of Chicago,' said Brooks Boyer, the White Sox's senior vice president, who also invited him back to Rate Field to throw a ceremonial first pitch. People flooded into the stadium hours before the program began. Many wore White Sox memorabilia, and several 'Da Pope' shirts were seen. Mike Donatelli, 67, had the best of both worlds — a White Sox jersey with 'Pope Leo' on the back. Donatelli now lives in the Loop, but he said he grew up on the South Side and he thinks it's incredible that someone who was basically a neighbor is now the leader of the Catholic Church. 'Same type of education system, we're the same age,' Donatelli said. 'One of my best friends from the Air Force Academy went to grade school with him … and said he was a great guy.' Donatelli said he's particularly drawn to the pope's humility and sense of humor. He thought it was clever when the pope joked that 'we can't invite Sinner' during a meeting with the tennis star Jannik Sinner. Donatelli, the former head of the Delta Air Line Pilots Association, also respects the pope's nod to workers in the selection of his name. 'He's already mentioned that we're all humans,' Donatelli said. 'We all have the same interests, especially for families. We just want to do the right thing and get ahead.' Miguel Vargas, 60, said he's also inspired that the new pope is from the Chicago area. He believes Chicagoans will follow the pope's lead and become ambassadors of what it means to be a good Catholic — united and peaceful. 'Since we are seeing a lot of things going on right now, we have to pray more and more,' Vargas said. 'We're here to pray for (Leo) and for the whole church.' Vargas, a Hoffman Estates resident, said he was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. when he was 17. He said he's 'embraced the American Dream' ever since. 'The American Dream for me is not the money, but the faith,' he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
'Like in Harry Potter': Phoenix Camelback High School freshmen split into 'houses'
Phoenix Union High School District is building a stronger foundation for incoming students by restructuring freshman year. Students will now be split into different 'houses' to build closer relationships with teachers and staff. 'If you're going to be successful with 600 different kids from diverse backgrounds, speaking different languages from different countries, you need a more customized, bespoke approach,' said James Arndt, principal of Phoenix Union's Camelback High School. 'The best way to do that — shrink the school.' Camelback High School receives hundreds of incoming freshmen from 43 middle schools across Phoenix. Freshman houses will create a system where students don't get lost in the numbers and teachers can keep track of their progress, Arndt said. Freshmen will be divided into four houses. Each house will have four core teachers in algebra, biology, English and health who monitor students' grades, as well as counselors, social workers, an attendance liaison and the freshmen house coordinator. 'Think like in Harry Potter — there's Gryffindor and Slytherin and Ravenclaw,' said Arndt. 'Our teams are named Earth, Air, Fire and Water." Students under the same house will have the same teachers, which allows educators to communicate with each other and keep tabs on students, said freshman house coordinator for Camelback High School, Erika Wimble. Wimble gathers data on students' grades and attendance and distributes them to teachers once a week. Teachers will then use one of their free periods to discuss how their students are doing. The goal is to help students connect with their teachers and lay the foundation for the rest of their high school years, Arndt said. 'Camelback is a really, really big school, and high school in general is just really scary,' said Dezzarae Medina, 18, a recent Camelback High School graduate. Medina began her freshman year at Camelback later in the year and found teachers to be supportive inside and outside of school. As a straight-A student, she remembered an instance when her then-English teacher reached out after Medina got a B to offer after-school assistance. 'I felt like the support system my freshman year kind of allowed me to open up enough to feel OK to ask questions,' Medina said. Camelback High School first adopted the house model on a small scale in 2019, according to Arndt. After COVID-19, the school was allowed to implement the new program across its whole campus. They received additional assistance from the Center for High School Success, which connected with Phoenix Union to introduce the 9th Grade on Track program to the district. 9th Grade on Track measures how likely a student is to graduate and continue postsecondary education based on the number of credits they complete during their freshman year. To maximize success, Camelback moved its best teachers to freshmen classes as part of its restructuring, Arndt said. Wimble said she views the program as 'trickle-up education' since freshmen involved with 9th Grade on Track proved to have better grades in their following years. 'I had a senior teacher once tell me, 'I never want to teach freshmen, but I will support you in whatever you need, because if your freshmen are successful, my job is gonna be easier as a senior teacher,' said Wimble. There has been an increase in Camelback High School's "on track" rates, or what determines students' likelihood of graduating, from 39% for the 2019-20 school year to 76% for the 2023-24 school year, according to the Center for High School Success. Camelback High School has also seen chronic absenteeism decrease from 45% in 2019-20 to 25% in the 2023-24 school year, according to the high school's data. The Arizona Department of Education has also increased Camelback High School's state report card grade from D to B and has even been used as a demonstration school by the Center for High School Success for its 9th Grade on Track implementation. Seniors placed in freshmen houses have seen a rise in their ACT scores and received four times the number of scholarships at $22 million, according to Arndt. Arndt said the different freshmen houses would inspire some friendly competition among their teachers, but it was not something they wanted to directly involve their students to keep the new system positive. However, that didn't stop students from trying to better their peers. 'I feel like from first quarter to fourth quarter, we did improve a lot just by that little competition that we had between houses," said sophomore Daniella Lerma, 15. Teachers within Lerma's house would frequently check in on her and how she was balancing school and extracurriculars, which kept Lerma motivated throughout her freshman year. The freshman house also allowed her to connect with her peers and build friendships. 'It's a better start,' said Lerma. 'If I didn't have that support, I wouldn't be where I am today.' Coverage of education solutions on and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation's Arizona Community Collaborative Fund. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix high school adopts Harry Potter model to help students improve
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
Vintage photos show how fatherhood has evolved in the US
Fatherhood in the US has evolved since the days of the breadwinner archetype. Changes in the economy led to changing gender roles in parenting. Today, fathers spend more time nurturing their children than ever before. A century ago, fatherhood often meant long hours at work to put bread on the table … and not spending much time with your children. By contrast, some fathers today get parental leave and have a more hands-on approach, from changing diapers to reading bedtime stories. Fatherhood looks different for every father, with factors like culture, finances, and family structures creating a unique experience for every dad. It's also a role that has changed over the past century. Shifts in gender dynamics and the workforce have impacted parenting and the roles of mothers and fathers. Events like the Great Depression, World War II, the 2008 crisis, and COVID-19 have all left a mark on parenting dynamics. Today, more fathers stay at home and nurture their children than ever before. This Father's Day, take a look back at how fatherhood has changed over the last 100 years, from the effects of industrialization to the rise of stay-at-home dads. In the pre-industrial days, a child's behavior was seen as a reflection of their father's raising. Before the industrialization of the US, and going back to the colonial period, fathers were seen as directly responsible for their children's upbringing. "If the children 'went bad,' it was blamed on the father," Regina Morantz-Sanchez, a history professor at the University of Michigan, told the university. This social standard meant fathers often took an active role in shaping a child. For many, especially in rural areas, this also meant training their children in skills needed to contribute to their communities, such as farming or hunting. Industrialization put the financial burden on fathers, who were expected to be breadwinners. The rise in industrial jobs, which were predominantly taken up by men, led to a change in social dynamics, where fathers now faced the financial responsibility of feeding their families, leading to the rise of the "breadwinner" trope. "The new economic structure separated the home and the workplace, which led to a new fatherly ideal," Morantz-Sanchez said. "The men became the breadwinners, and the women stayed at home. This took child-rearing out of the traditional male role." Amid the Great Depression, Father's Day honored dads and the different ways they supported their families. Although it didn't become a national holiday until 1972, Father's Day was first marked in the early 1900s. It began being more widely celebrated in the 1920s after the Great Depression, a time when many men spent long hours away from their families, while other men had faced the challenges of losing their jobs. The Great Depression also promoted Father's Day as a gifting holiday, as reported by the Old Farmer's Almanac, as this helped stimulate the economy. Drafts put a strain on fatherhood as men left their families for war. As World War II escalated in Europe by 1940, America implemented a draft that, initially, didn't include married men, leading to a "marriage boom," as reported by the Oregon Secretary of State. By 1943, fathers became eligible for the draft, and many men had to leave their families as they went off to war, continuing a trend of absent fatherhood in American society, whether it was caused by economic dynamics or, in this instance, a draft. After the war, many women stayed in the labor force, which began to shift parenting dynamics. After WW2, when women largely joined the workforce, working mothers became a more familiar concept for American society. By the 1960s, more married women worked than ever before in American history, as reported by PBS. Having two working parents became more typical, and with that came a heavier burden on housework and childcare. While mothers continued to serve as the main caregivers even while working themselves, some men began "helping" mothers, as reported in a 2009 report from the National Council on Family Relations. By the 1970s, some fathers began being more involved in their children's childcare. A new type of fatherhood began to emerge in the 1970s as men took on more of a nurturing role in their children's upbringing. This new archetype, named "the new nurturant father" at the time, as noted in a Cornell University study, was used to describe fathers who, although still serving as the main breadwinner of the house, also took on an active role in the emotional development of their children. Part of this came as a response to a rise in absent fathers after no-fault divorce began being legalized by 1969, which drew much criticism from the growing feminist movement as well as scrutiny from the psychological community. It was a time of shifting attitudes toward parenting, as feminists highlighted the invisible labor traditionally done by mothers, and as fathering researchers studied the effects of emotional detachment from absent fathers on both the children and the fathers themselves. A movement for "new fatherhood" began emerging in the 1980s as fathers continued to become more involved in their children's lives, as reported by Psychology Today. At the turn of the 20th century, more dads were staying home with their kids. Between 2003 and 2006, the rate of stay-at-home dads increased by 50%, as reported by the American Psychological Association. This aligned with the rise in women's wages, along with a growing sentiment of not wanting someone else to raise their children, per APA. Despite their growing presence in childcare, stay-at-home dads also reported feeling isolated from other stay-at-home parents, who were predominantly women. The trend continued after the 2008 economic crash. While rates of stay-at-home dads have fluctuated over the past 50 years, they have consistently increased during periods of high unemployment, per the Pew Research Center. After the 2008 financial crisis, many men stayed at home and provided childcare for their children. "In the aftermath of the Great Recession, we saw the share of all stay-at-home parents go up by several percentage points to about 29%," Pew Research Center's director of social trends research, Kim Parker, told CNBC in 2021. Still, the rates of stay-at-home have remained low — around 7% in 2021 — and their reasons to stay home differ from stay-at-home moms, with more men staying at home because of disability, retirement, inability to find a job, or going to school, according to the Pew Research Center. Rates of stay-at-home dads went up further after the COVID-19 pandemic, and time spent with children has remained at a historic high. As people left the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic, many men were presented with the opportunity to stay home with their children. As many as 7 million men between 25 and 54 did not return to the workforce after the pandemic, as reported by The Spectator. Today, per The New York Times, fathers spend more time with their children than previous generations, and parenting trends continue to shift toward a more balanced version of parenthood, where mothers and fathers share more of the responsibilities and joys of raising a child.
