22-05-2025
Restorative Pathways opens Phoenix Rising Youth Home in Oakland for homeless youth
It's a new chapter for Restorative Pathways.
They just opened Phoenix Rising Youth Home in Oakland to provide shelter for unhoused youth.
"It is two floors, right now you are seeing our top floor, which is meant for girls who are coming in through the city of Oakland. They are either experiencing homelessness, exploitation, substance use disorder, and the list goes on and on," Sophora Acheson, the CEO of Restorative Pathways, told CBS News Bay Area.
There are 12 total beds at the youth home, but currently, six beds are being refurbished and are not yet ready. The other six beds, however, are readily available for unhoused youth in need.
The organization is currently raising funds of about $250,000 to complete the remaining rooms downstairs. Meanwhile, the rooms upstairs as well as the common areas are open.
"It was really important to us to pick the décor because we wanted it to feel like home. We wanted it to be bright, we wanted it to be airy," Acheson said.
Restorative Pathways provides housing and resources for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. Phoenix Rising Youth Home will provide housing for those between the ages of 12 and 18.
"Our partner, West Coast Children's Clinic, have done quite a bit of research. And they are showing one in seven youth that walk through their doors is showing signs of exploitation. The trauma numbers are even higher. And as you know in Alameda County, homelessness is an epidemic here," she said.
Oakland is in the top three cities nationwide for victims of child exploitation.
Acheson said their partnerships with local law enforcement, county and school district leaders is critical in taking unhoused youth off the streets and providing them with shelter.
Restorative Pathways has two other shelters in Hayward. As for this youth home in Oakland, there will be 24/7 staffing at the home with case managers, therapists, peer advocates and a shelter manager.
Acheson added that there is no maximum length of stay and will be there to provide for the youth as long as they need.
Lt. Marcos Campos of Oakland Police said his department, the child exploitation investigative unit, works on an average of 1,500 cases a year.
"They average about 16 to 20 juveniles that are located on International Boulevard corridor. And those are the youth that we often refer to, previously known as Dream Catchers and now Phoenix Rising. And we hope to continue that partnership moving forward," Campos said.
He added that without enough youth shelters in Oakland, his officers would often need to bring at-risk youth to San Francisco or further in the East Bay. But with this new youth home, just a couple blocks away from the Oakland Police Station, it's right at home.
And staff like Justin Luke Riley, who once lived in a homeless shelter, will make sure that those who walk through those doors will be protected.
"Roughly 18 years ago, I was in a homeless shelter. And was fortunate enough to receive services for substance use disorder, mental health," Luke Riley told CBS News Bay Area. "Restorative Pathways offers young individuals like me, when I was 19 years young, looking for a safe place, a healthy place and a place that was rich, full of resources."
As for Acheson, her goal is to help the unhoused youth heal and build that trust to connect them with more permanent housing.
"We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We will answer the door, we will bring you in, we will get you a bed to sleep in and help is there," Acheson said.
