The Need...
Our community provides shelter and services for adults,
but often homeless and at-risk youth are overlooked.
Most homeless youth are not eligible for foster home
placement, and cannot stay at other emergency shelters
without a legal guardian. Many of these youth do not
link with services and agencies that can help. Others
are a crime away from getting help. Some lose hope and
turn to drugs and alcohol or end up in a life on the
streets.
We strive to provide a better future for these youth by
providing emergency shelter and services that find them
the support and skills they need to make positive
changes in their lives. Helping youth succeed helps to
make our community a better place to live for all of us.
History...
From 1993 until the opening of the Jackson Street Youth
Shelter in 2001, there was no shelter for runaway or
other out-of-home youth in Linn, Benton or Lincoln
counties. In 1999, 159 youth were reported as runaways
to Benton County law enforcement agencies, and this
number could easily have been doubled for unreported and
other out-of-home young people.
Youth who were living
on the street, or even removed from home for their own
safety, could end up cold, hungry and without a bed to
sleep in. Some youth were taken to a detention facility,
where they were treated like young criminals without
having broken any laws. Eventually, many of these youth
wanted to return to a mainstream existence and had to
do so without assistance, forcing them to settle for
educational and vocational opportunities with little or
no future.
Because of these situations, a group of
citizens formed the Jackson Street Youth Shelter, Inc. (JSYS)
in order to meet the needs of out-of-home youth
throughout this region. While the shelter opened in
downtown Corvallis, calls and requests for assistance
quickly started coming in from nearby Albany and
communities on the coast (Newport) as well as across the
Willamette Valley (Lebanon and Sweet Home). The number
of youth using the shelter has steadily risen.
Presently, the shelter has 9 beds. Since the shelter
opened, we have averaged almost 5 new youth per month
staying at the shelter, with an average stay of two weeks.
While some of these youth are truly homeless or
runaway, the majority of them are dealing with a family
crisis. Shelter staff works closely with young people
connected with education and law enforcement agencies,
as was our original vision. Yet, now more than half of
the youth referrals made to the shelter comes from
families themselves that need assistance, starting with
some respite for the youth. This makes it even more
vital to network with community
organizations to insure that those in need know about
the services we offer.
What started out as a means of giving assistance to
disenfranchised youth has evolved into a resource that
is recognized and valued by an increasing number of
families in this community, and beyond. Clearly, the
shelter is responding to a need in our community that
was underestimated by all private and public interested
parties.
Board Of Directors...
The Board of Directors is composed of various community
members, including youth, to ensure a variety of
viewpoints, ideas and beliefs. We currently are looking
for more board members. We have openings for,
youth board, and Development Committee Chair.
Tanarae Greenman-Chair
Theresa Stephens-Vice Chair
Ken Krane- Treasurer
John Mata-Secretary
Scott Mattravers
Ruby Moon
Harrison Branch
Staff...
Ann Craig is the Executive Director. She previously
worked for Hewlett-Packard as a marketing manager, and,
more recently, has worked as a freelance business
planner and marketing consultant and published a family
web magazine. She has also spent many hours volunteering
for non-profits for public outreach and annual giving
campaigns.
Barbara Falck has also joined the Jackson Street Youth Shelter as its
Program Manager. She has worked in social services for four years,
including serving as a drug and alcohol counselor.
John
Brochis is our Shelter Manager. John has been with JSYSI since
2004. He has worked in the Oak Creek Juvenile Detention Center
and has a certificate in juvenile corrections.
Kendra
Sue is our Lead Case Manager. She has been with JSYS since 2004, and
has a bachelor's degree in human development and family science with a
minor is sociology and Spanish from Oregon State University. Kendra Sue
has previous experience working at a family development center in
Douglas County and working in outdoor ministries for the Oregon Idaho
Conference.
Meghan
is our Supplemental Services Manager. She has been with JSYSI
since 2005, and will earn a bachelors degree in human service,
psychology and public health from OSU in June of 2008. She
previously worked for the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence and
OSU Disability Access Services. She is a trained support group
facilitator through the Oregon Family Support Network.
Steve
Bernet is our Aftercare Case Manager. He has been with JSYSI
since 2007. Steve has a bachelor's in human development and
family science with a minor in psychology. Steve has work
experience in drug and alcohol abuse issues.
Brandon Neal is our
Activities Coordinator. He has been with JSYSI since 2007.
Brandon has completed studies in human services, sociology,
Spanish, and theatre. Brandon is a certified camp counselor and
has previous work experience with outdoor ministries for the Oregon
Idaho Conference.
Other paid staff includes Case Workers, Bookkeeper, OSU/LBCC interns,
and mentors. We use both paid and volunteer staff for round-the-clock
supervision.
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