Drop-in Center serves teens and young adults facing homelessness
The public is invited to an open house Friday, June 3, 2022, from 11 am to 6 pm
Goldendale, WA (April 28, 2022) – For the past two years, Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) housing team has been developing services and a drop-in center to support teens and young adults at risk of becoming homeless or who are currently homeless.
A statewide effort assists the thousands of homeless youth in Washington who struggle each night without the safety, stability, and support of a family or home. The Washington State Department of Commerce funds this pilot program through the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs.
“Our staff is all people that have experienced homelessness as young people,” said Bobby Casey, the department supervisor for the Homeless Youth Housing Program. “We share many of the same experiences and offer a chance for young people going through these difficult times to find help, with no stigma or biased feelings.”
Casey says the center will allow young people to regroup, recharge, and refocus. Designed for ages 13 to 24, it offers a wide range of services, from helping find a safe place to live to providing a meal, laundry facilities, and a place to shower.
Although the center is located in Goldendale, WAGAP covers all of Klickitat and Skamania counties to support homeless youth and encourages anyone in need to contact staff. They will work by phone, computer, and travel in-person to assist.
Youth first check in with the office case manager, Allie Mercer, who has been fundamental in creating the new center. She walks them through an intake process to better understand their living conditions, individual situations, and needs. She works with them to set goals for themselves and helps them to navigate things like their school enrollment, mental health services, and legal assistance if needed.
The center also offers desks and computers for students to study or search for jobs, a game room and living room to relax, read books, watch movies and decompress. “We wanted to create a safe place for teenagers and young adults that gives them positive things to do and steers them away from negative influences,” Mercer said.
Mercer is also developing a series of classes to help teach some basic life skills like budgeting, balancing a checkbook, basic cooking and cleaning, looking for jobs and rentals, and providing outlets for artistic talents. She encourages people with experience in these areas to reach out to WAGAP and become a volunteer to lead activities.
The team is opening the doors from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3, 2022, at this new location in Goldendale at 125 West Main Street. They invite the public to drop in to see what it is all about. The group will offer some light snacks and refreshments, there will be some drawings, and they are looking for suggestions on giving the space a name that reflects the young people it will serve.
“We want our teens and young adults to feel comfortable walking through the doors to ask for assistance,” Casey said. “We thought it would be a fun way to engage the public to brainstorm with us and then let the young people make the final decision on the new name.” Several other WAGAP program buildings have names, such as “Guided Path,” the emergency shelter in Bingen, and “Gina’s Place,” the Klickitat County domestic violence shelter.
To connect directly with the Homeless Youth Housing team, call 509-281-0288 or email allie@wagap.org. To learn about all of the services WAGAP provides or become a volunteer, visit wagap.org or call the main office at 509-493-2662.
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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.