Iowa Homeless Youth Centers

How Iowa Homeless Youth CentersHelp Teens and Young Adults

• Street Outreach Vans go out every night to locate teens, provide immediate assistance, including shelter, and help them access resources they need. An Outreach phone is answered 24 hours a day (515-249-1443).
  
• Outreach Center provides meals, access and referral services to other agencies, support groups, Food Pantry, showers, laundry, and one-on-one assistance. IHYC contracts for shelter rooms at the YWCA and YMCA.
• Reggie's Place is a late night coffee house that offers a safe place for entertainment and socializing without alcohol or drugs. Transportation to and from Reggie's Place is provided when needed.
• Meals and Support Services offered Thursday nights for youth ages 16-21 only. Noon meals and evening meals for all age groups are provided by Connection Café and Community Kitchen at the Outreach Center at 701 Grand. Transportation to and from meals are provided when needed.
• Buchanan Trasitional Living Center where young men and women ages 16 through 21 begin to learn and practice skills necessary to maintain independent living on their own. Program is free. Youth must save 60% of all earnings.
• Lighthouse Host Home where young women ages 16 to 25 can live with their children and learn and practice parenting and independent living skills. Program is free. Youth must save 60% of earnings for future needs.
• Education Services and Support are offered to young people who need help in finishing school, getting a GED, getting started in college or post-high school training.
  
• Employment Services and Support are offered to young people who need assistance in learning how to job hunt, prepare for job interviews, and how to retain employment.

2007 Statistics

Iowa Homeless Youth Centers (IHYC) touched the lives of over 600 homeless youth in the Des Moines metro in 2007. Through life-changing programs that build confidence and self-sufficiency skills, IHYC helps homeless youth and families get back on track for living independently. Each day, free-of-charge, youth in need can count on IHYC.

Street Outreach

• 392 Outreach Participants
• 1,969 meals
• 4,687 van contacts
• 218 youth sheltered
• 794 survival kits handed out
• 492 blankets, bedrolls, clothing kits distributed

Buchanan Transitional Living Center

• 32 youth served in 2007

Lighthouse Host Home

• 26 young moms and children served in 2007

Aftercare Services

• 78 young men and women served in 2007

Family Futures Program

• 69 children served in 2007

What You Can Give

It costs

• $576 a day to operate the Buchanan Center
• $504 a day to operate the Lighthouse Host Home
• $408 a night to operate the Street Outreach Vans

Financial Contributions are greatly appreciated and are tax deductible. If you would like to make a donation to Reggie's Sleepout, click here. For every dollar raised, the Richard O. Jacobson Foundation will match 50 cents, up to $50,000. To learn more about the $50K challenge, click here.

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