Housing for Youth

Need a roof over your head?

While homelessness is a much more hidden phenomenon in rural communities, it is nevertheless a serious and very real social problem in our community. Many youth in our community are couch surfing, living in places unfit for human habitation, or in unstable or unhealthy situations. Being in such situations makes it much more difficult for youth to achieve their education and career goals and often leads to greater mental and emotional instability.

Youth Services offers several types of youth housing, depending on the length of stay and what types of services a youth needs in order to return home or move successfully to independent housing. The programs below are intended to provide a comprehensive spectrum of options for youth in order to meet their needs on an individual basis.

Emergency housing gives local 11- to 17-year-olds temporary shelter through host homes in their communities while they or their families are going through some type of crisis for up to 14 days.

Transitional Housing Toward Independence provides housing for six to nine months for local 16- to 21-year-olds that are homeless, couch surfing or living in unstable or unhealthy situations and helps them to achieve independence.

Transitional Living offers a wide range of support to local 16- to 21-year-old youth who lack stable living alternatives as they prepare to get or keep their own apartment. Youth Services offers rent stipends to youth who have a job or some other source of income and are engaged in 25 to 30 hours of productive time per week including a combination of school, employment, education and/or other healthy activities.