November is known for Thanksgiving, but it is also Youth Hope Month which calls attention to the plight of young people who have run away from their homes and are at risk of homelessness.

Partnering with National Runaway Safeline, Advocates for Children is part of the solution for more than 4 million young people experiencing homelessness in the U.S each year. According to Tracy Arp, Shelter Manager and Runaway and Homeless Youth coordinator for Advocates, efforts this month will focus on education and prevention so the 11 counties served by Advocates will be more aware of the problem and able to effectively help.

The Advocates team will be hosting workshops in schools and with community partners. Outreach efforts with the media and social media will draw attention. And community events, including civic and church drives to collect clothing and toiletry supplies, will help young people in need. Advocates and other partners are even planning to “Shine a Light” on youth homelessness by flooding their buildings with green lights, the symbol for Youth Hope Month.

Often the first step to helping any youth in crisis begins with a national program called Safe Place. Black and yellow signs are displayed at schools, fire stations, fast food restaurants, and many QuikTrip locations. At risk youth at any of these locations in the 9 NW GA counties served by Advocates for Children can make a call direct to Advocates and start the process of receiving immediate help. QuikTrip has been a significant partner with Advocates in this effort for several years.

Advocates for Children has developed several programs to address the need. The Flowering Branch Children’s Shelter has an excellent record of arranging shelter for kids 6-17 with temporary or permanent homes, providing youth with educational support, and often reuniting them with their families, Arp stated.

In early 2024 a 17-year-old girl, Kelly (not her real name) showed up at the Advocates emergency shelter with nowhere else to turn after she found it through the Advocates Safe Place social media page. Kelly had spent her last $38 on an Uber because she was no longer able to stay in the home she shared with her mother and had no other options. Kelly said, “I was terrified. I had no money, just a few items in a bag, no place to stay and no future.”

“But when my knock on the Advocates Shelter door was answered”, she said, “things began to change. Tracy opened the door with a smile and a genuine welcome. She got some food from the fridge and gave me a meal and a place to sleep which I needed badly. The next day we talked about my situation without any judgement and began to develop a plan for me.”

The Advocates staff got Kelly some new clothes and helped get her medications back on track. Over the next few weeks goals were established, housing options were explored, job readiness programs and personal skills like budget planning were completed.

In this instance Kelly’s stay with the Advocates shelter was brief. Kelly found a job in childcare, applied to programs that have her on a path to get her General Equivalency Diploma and transitioned to her own apartment.

Kelly said, “I was in a bad place and Advocates really made a difference in my life. I showed up with no place to go, and now I am independent with a good job and a safe and stable place to live. I still have a lot to accomplish but the hopelessness I felt at the beginning of the year has changed to a new and hopeful outlook. And there is no question that this would not have happened without the team at the Advocates Shelter.”

Older youths in the Advocates Runaway and Homeless Youth program have achieved stability, completed their education, and found employment leading to a future of independence and security. According to Catherine Davis, Program Manager for RISE, also known as Youth Independent Housing, “The success rate has been amazing. Eighty percent of the young people who complete the one- year program remain independent and successful.

Overcoming generational and systemic poverty is a major hurdle for the Advocates programs working with older homeless teens. Jada (name changed), 19, and her 4-year-old son had left a difficult relationship with a non-supportive father. She and her young son had nowhere to go, no money, no home and an education that had ended in the 10th grade. The Advocates team arranged for a 30-day motel stay providing immediate relief and then arranged for an apartment where she still lives, four years later.

Jada had been a product of three generations of systemic poverty and altering that mindset became a priority. Re-emphasizing education led to a GED. Advocates helped Jada through the process of finding a full-time job that provided security and stability along with financial management coaching.

While Jada’s program with Advocates ended after one year, she remains in her apartment and at her job while her son succeeds in school. Jada’s relationship with Advocates continues, however, as she still receives parenting support from the Advocates in-home parenting education program along with occasional assistance from the Family Resource Center.

Beginning in 2025, both programs – the Shelter and Youth Independent Housing — will be operating within Newman House, a new housing structure nearing completion. The homelike environment contains 14 bedrooms, a commercial kitchen and laundry, community rooms and 24/7 staff supervision. Newman House will also feature a new Drop-In Center providing short term help for youth facing housing insecurity. They will receive much-needed assistance with food, shelter, employment and housing connections.

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Advocates for Children News Release
Cartersville. Calhoun. Kennesaw.
November 7, 2024