Our Story YOU CAN HELP PROVIDE A HEALTHY FUTURE FOR YOUTH!

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2 Our Story The idea for HOME began in 1993 with a group of former homeless youth and community organizers. In 1994, HOME was established to support homeless and disenfranchised youth in Salem and the surrounding area. Since then we have been living our mission of providing a safe supportive environment for Salem s at-risk and homeless youth. Our Services At HOME, disenfranchised youth (11-17, 18 if still in school) find a safe place, caring adults, and opportunities to connect with their community in a positive way. In 2012, 895 different teens paid more than 10,000 visits: approximately 50/50 boys/girls, all experiencing poverty, most experiencing homelessness, and many experiencing abuse. HOME offers basic needs services such as meals, laundry, showers, and support services that include job hunting, transportation, mentoring, case management, resource and referral, and reunification. YOU CAN HELP PROVIDE A HEALTHY FUTURE FOR YOUTH! Homelessness within the teen population has been on the rise for years and the need for resources is at an all time high. With your support and donations, HOME can continue to assist this vulnerable population, offering youth access to the resources they need to stabilize and move toward a healthy future. HOME should be open every day and night. ~ HOME gave me someone to turn to when I needed help. ~ HOME helped get my life back together. Made me open up my eyes. In the Words of Our Youth 2 I love HOME, it is great. ~ HOME has been a positive place for me to hang out and get good advice about family and social issues; helped me with food, clothes, school.

3 The Youth Empowerment Project The Youth Empowerment Project provides youth opportunities to develop valuable work skills. Opportunities are available in the areas of art, culinary, retail, educational, and leadership. By moving through the program, at-risk and homeless teens develop valuable skills and find confidence within themselves while working with a positive adult role model. These skill advancements will help them seek future educational opportunities, job placement, and hopefully help to stabilize and move their lives in a more positive direction. Youth also participate in financial literacy classes provided by MAPS Credit Union that cover topics such as deposits, budgeting, saving, and account management to guide them in financial planning to reach future goals. COST COST FOR COST FOR SKILL-BASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR 1 FOR 5 FOR 10 YOUTH YOUTH YOUTH ARTS OPPORTUNITY Youth expand their artistic abilities through arts and $5.00 $25.00 $50.00 crafts projects which are sold at Fresh Start Market year round. CULINARY ARTS AND RETAIL OPPORTUNITIES In partnership with First Christian Church, youth $ $1, $2, have the opportunity to learn valuable culinary skills as they plan, prepare, and serve meals at HOME s dinner service under the tutelage of a trained chef. Youth working with the Human Society Thrift Store gain valuable retail experience they can parlay into a resumé and job applications. HOME offers a volunteer stipend that can offset any expenses youth might experience while participating in these six-month commitments (for example, close-toed shoes for the culinary opportunity). EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY Youth work as program assistants at Grant Community $ $1, $2, School s after school program, helping teachers with classroom management, tutoring, art, and craft projects. HOME pays for half of the minimum wage youth earn interning in this school year position. 3

4 The Peggy Kahan Fund Peggy Kahan, retired program director and founder of HOME, volunteered and worked countless hours over 20 years to make HOME a safe place where Salem s youth can get help accessing community resources and meeting their basic needs. The Peggy Kahan Fund was established to honor Peggy and continue her efforts. The fund will go toward vital resources to help youth gain stability, such as identification cards, birth certificates, GED testing and preparation, food handlers cards, and bus passes. Cost for Cost for Cost for 1 youth 5 youth 10 youth Youth Daily Bus Pass $2.50 $12.50 $25.00 Youth Summer Bus Pass $30.00 $ $ Oregon Food Handler s Card $10.00 $50.00 $ Birth Certificate $20.00 $ $ Oregon Identification Card $44.50 $ $ GED Materials and Testing Fees $ $ $1,

5 Runaway and Homeless Youth Outreach Working with the Salem Police Department, HOME Street Outreach workers are given Run Reports, reports filed with Law Enforcement Agencies by family with missing and runaway children. Our workers are out in the field/on the streets looking for and connecting with homeless youth. Our goal is to find, connect, and bring youth into our safe day shelter for support services. Street Outreach supplies allow staff and volunteers to triage any immediate needs of homeless youth who are contacted. The resources are distributed in a way that facilitates building positive, trusting relationships between outreach staff/volunteers and the homeless youth. These positive relationships are crucial to a youth allowing us into their world so HOME can assist them. Within the reconnection process we seek to provide safety/safety plans (free from violence, abuse, neglect, stalking, and exploitation), address living situations (stable living situations without fear of losing or having to leave), support well-being (physical health, enriched educational experiences, mental health and social connectedness), and ultimately the gaining of self-sufficiency (learn life skills, live independently, take care of themselves, further education, and plan for the future). Examples of resources and services that donations to Outreach can provide Emergency Hotel Vouchers Job Corps Entry and Apartment Readiness Training Supplies Peer Group Activities Outreach Supplies $50.00 per night $20.00 per youth $75.00 per event $50.00 per month Happy Ending Bright Future HOME s Outreach workers established a trusting relationship with James, a youth with autism who was sleeping in Wilson and Minto Brown Island parks. With the help of staff and direct case management, James was accepted into Job Corps, one of the best housing options for youth. Job Corps helped James gain self discipline, a sense of self worth, and needed employment skills. James recently returned to HOME letting us know his life was better, he had been accepted into a community college, and was moving forward with a solid plan. Without Street Outreach, James situation would have continued to spiral downward. Now he is looking to a future filled with options. 5

6 Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Initiative A healthy diet is a key aspect of a happy, healthy life. Fresh fruits and vegetables supplement the more than 7,000 lunches, snacks, and dinners that HOME provides youth annually. Many times variety is limited and a donation can help us maintain and expand our healthy offerings. $25.00 a week allows HOME to continue this initiative to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to our youth. The Backpack Project Backpacks are a vital resource as they not only carry school supplies, but they are often used to carry all of the youth s possessions. The Backpack Project occurs July-September for the School Supply Drive and in November and December for the holidays. HOME fills backpacks with clothing, hygiene items, and school supplies or holiday gifts. Cost for Cost for Cost for 1 youth 10 youth 20 youth Backpack $10.00 $ $ Supplies $15.00 $ $ Total $25.00 $ $ Ethnic Awareness Nights HOME s Ethnic Awareness Nights offer youth the opportunity to learn about other cultures and ethnicities, exposing them to different foods, movies, and activities. Dinner $ Movie $15.00 Supplies for Activity $10.00 Total for One Ethnic Awareness Night $

7 Adopt-A-Room HOME requires updates and repairs to keep our facility a safe and welcoming place for youth. When you or your organization adopts a room at HOME, your financial contributions will go toward remodeling and repairing the room. The adopted room will be named after you or your organization with a commemorative plaque, in addition to recognition on our website and social media pages. If you would like to add additional support and volunteer with the improvement project, please let us know. Rooms Cost to Adopt Boys Clothing Closet $ Girls Clothing Closet $ Main Level Office $ Outreach Office $ School Supplies Room $1, Dining Room $2, Bathrooms (3) $2, each Living Room $5, Basement $5, Kitchen $10,

8 A Story From HOME Jessica had been coming to HOME for some time before she started to reach out and get involved. She first started by participating in volunteer activities led by our Community Service Team called Crew. She assisted with playground cleanups and emergency sandbag assistance during the floods. She then participated in a work experience internship at Center 50+ and in a retail experience at the Humane Society Thrift Store. With these experiences under her belt, she applied for and was offered a sixmonth youth cook position at HOME. All these experiences helped her gain employment as a parking attendant at the Oregon State Fair. After a few short months, using her new and enhanced resumé showing a variety of skills, she accepted a regular part-time position at Chuck E. Cheese s. Jessica said: having a bunch of jobs helped me gain skills and helped me get the job at Chuck E. Cheese s. Having cash register experience from the Humane Society Thrift Store helped a lot too To donate to HOME, please go to our website < click the Donate Now button (as shown below), and follow the form instructions. Catalog created by Hannah Froiland, Willamette University Intern