Latest news with #SleepOut
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Youth Futures supports at-risk and homeless Utah children
Kristen Mitchell and her team have been supporting Utah's youth for the last 10 years. With overnight shelter, drop-in services and street outreach, Mitchell says the Youth Futures organization has changed countless lives and helped to lessen the cycle of homelessness at no cost to the kids. As founder, Mitchell's involvement began one winter night while working on a mental health hotline for youth. During a conversation with a young boy, she found her new calling. 'He was in a park and wouldn't tell me where he was, but he was feeling suicidal, had no place to go and was very distraught,' Mitchell recalled. 'I talked to him on the phone for hours. … I stayed awake the rest of the night. When my husband woke up, I told him the story and said, 'If someone is going to do us, it's going to be us.'' Mitchell immediately got to work developing a homeless youth shelter for kids ages 12-18 and transitional living for those 16-22. In 2015, she opened her first shelter in Ogden. Since then, Youth Futures has opened shelters and transitional living centers in St. George and Cedar City. One of the most important guiding principles of the organization was never turning youth away. Youth Futures is open 24/7 and provides access to laundry, computer access, overnight shelter, support groups, art therapy, pregnancy prevention and a myriad of other courses. 'If you can think about it, we offer it. If we don't offer it, and a kid needs it, we will figure out how to help build it,' Mitchell said. Youth Futures is made possible by grants, fundraisers, donations and the annual Sleep Out event. The event has attendees sleep outside to raise money and ensure that youth will not have to be on the streets. Other sponsors include Havenwood Academy, a girls' trauma treatment facility that consistently donates and brings girls to help with yard work at the facility. With all the life-changing work that happens within Youth Futures, one of the biggest obstacles has been altering the public's perception of the youth. 'There is a lot of stigma that goes on with homeless kids,' Mitchell confessed. 'They get marked as runaways or difficult kids. That is really not what these kids are dealing with. These kids are homeless and unaccompanied for reasons that are not their own.' The stories of what led the youth to homelessness have been heartbreaking to Mitchell and only resolved her drive to help in whatever way she can. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the organization. 'Statistics show that kids are four times more likely to become homeless adults if they become homeless as a kid. If we can intervene early and help these kids build the life skills and resiliency that they need, they will be more likely to be successful and stay out of homelessness,' Mitchell explained. Over the past 10 years, 80% of the youth served by Youth Futures have not entered the adult homeless system, according to Mitchell. The staggering statistics prove to Mitchell and her army of volunteers and employees that they are making a difference. With many youth-facing programs constantly being rolled out, Youth Futures sets itself apart by consistently providing positive programs. 'Our motto is 'We serve kids no matter what.' We check our judgment at our door and meet the kids where they are at,' Mitchell explained. 'We are very youth-centered. When a kid sets their goals, it is their goals, not our suggestions of goals. We will help them down whatever path they choose. We run on positive youth development.' For more information or to volunteer with Youth Futures, visit its website.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Youth Futures supports at-risk and homeless Utah children
Kristen Mitchell and her team have been supporting Utah's youth for the last 10 years. With overnight shelter, drop-in services and street outreach, Mitchell says the Youth Futures organization has changed countless lives and helped to lessen the cycle of homelessness at no cost to the kids. As founder, Mitchell's involvement began one winter night while working on a mental health hotline for youth. During a conversation with a young boy, she found her new calling. 'He was in a park and wouldn't tell me where he was, but he was feeling suicidal, had no place to go and was very distraught,' Mitchell recalled. 'I talked to him on the phone for hours. … I stayed awake the rest of the night. When my husband woke up, I told him the story and said, 'If someone is going to do us, it's going to be us.'' Mitchell immediately got to work developing a homeless youth shelter for kids ages 12-18 and transitional living for those 16-22. In 2015, she opened her first shelter in Ogden. Since then, Youth Futures has opened shelters and transitional living centers in St. George and Cedar City. One of the most important guiding principles of the organization was never turning youth away. Youth Futures is open 24/7 and provides access to laundry, computer access, overnight shelter, support groups, art therapy, pregnancy prevention and a myriad of other courses. 'If you can think about it, we offer it. If we don't offer it, and a kid needs it, we will figure out how to help build it,' Mitchell said. Youth Futures is made possible by grants, fundraisers, donations and the annual Sleep Out event. The event has attendees sleep outside to raise money and ensure that youth will not have to be on the streets. Other sponsors include Havenwood Academy, a girls' trauma treatment facility that consistently donates and brings girls to help with yard work at the facility. With all the life-changing work that happens within Youth Futures, one of the biggest obstacles has been altering the public's perception of the youth. 'There is a lot of stigma that goes on with homeless kids,' Mitchell confessed. 'They get marked as runaways or difficult kids. That is really not what these kids are dealing with. These kids are homeless and unaccompanied for reasons that are not their own.' The stories of what led the youth to homelessness have been heartbreaking to Mitchell and only resolved her drive to help in whatever way she can. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the organization. 'Statistics show that kids are four times more likely to become homeless adults if they become homeless as a kid. If we can intervene early and help these kids build the life skills and resiliency that they need, they will be more likely to be successful and stay out of homelessness,' Mitchell explained. Over the past 10 years, 80% of the youth served by Youth Futures have not entered the adult homeless system, according to Mitchell. The staggering statistics prove to Mitchell and her army of volunteers and employees that they are making a difference. With many youth-facing programs constantly being rolled out, Youth Futures sets itself apart by consistently providing positive programs. 'Our motto is 'We serve kids no matter what.' We check our judgment at our door and meet the kids where they are at,' Mitchell explained. 'We are very youth-centered. When a kid sets their goals, it is their goals, not our suggestions of goals. We will help them down whatever path they choose. We run on positive youth development.' For more information or to volunteer with Youth Futures, visit its website.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Yahoo
In solidarity with the teens it serves, Waypoint will hold a different kind of sleepout
ROCHESTER — With its largest fundraising coming up on March 21, Waypoint, which offers support services to homeless youth, faced a dilemma. In its Grants Pass v. Johnson ruling in July 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court gave cities and towns across the nation the power to criminally prosecute people who are sleeping outside on public property, even if the city or town does not offer a shelter. In the wake of that ruling the homeless youth served by Waypoint have reported being harassed. In order not to accept a privilege denied to their clients, Waypoint decided not to hold its large annual group sleepout to end youth homelessness, but instead to encourage individuals and small groups to find alternative ways to be outdoors and raise funds for the homeless youth. More: Sleeping on public property can be a crime if you're homeless, Supreme Court says Mandy Lancaster, director of Waypoint's Homeless Youth and Young Adult services, said the decision is intended to honor the homeless youth they serve, young people who she said are being harassed when they have to sleep outside. "With nearly 15,000 youth experiencing homelessness in New Hampshire each year, Waypoint's 11th annual SleepOut on March 21 aims to raise awareness and funds to address this critical issue," said Kristen Lestock, a Waypoint spokesperson. "This experiential fundraising event supports essential services, including the state's only low-barrier emergency youth shelter and youth drop-in centers in Manchester and Rochester." This year, advocates will sleep remotely outside at a location of their choice due to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. "We were presented with an ethical dilemma," Lancaster said. "Our young people came to us and said they were hurt by our intention to do the event. They told us they are getting tickets (some of which we have paid through our legal fund), are being harassed daily. So even though we truly believe in this cause, this event, we know the young people we work with deal with dangerous situations. They try to be inside in the cold weather but when it gets warmer, they naturally tend to move outside. We hope we do not take a financial hit on money we use for programs to help them, but we are willing to risk it, to make a stand. "We held many meetings, agonized over this, but the young people we talked with really felt it was unfair that we would be allowed to hold the event, to sleep outside when they are being persecuted for it," she said. "We will respect that." Lancaster said they understand the implication of not doing the event. They are aware, and hope they are wrong, but they fear this move could have a negative impact on this, one of their biggest fundraisers. "But we feel strongly it is the right decision," she said. Instead, Waypoint will hold an event at a Bronstein Park in Manchester, and then people are encouraged to sleep outside at a location of their choosing, mostly on private property. People can make monetary donations to help by visiting Ways to Give and Support Our Programs | Waypoint. This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: In solidarity with the teens it serves, Waypoint changes fundraiser
