Letter to the Community
Dear Friends:
At Avenues, we spend most of our time making sure youths' basic needs are being met and they have supports to enable them to move on successfully and participate fully in our community.
But we are also involved in community conversations about why homelessness exists and what it really will take to end homelessness. We believe the community needs to talk about why homelessness disproportionately impacts certain youth, especially youth of color, and what our responsibility is as youth workers and community members.
This work is about "bridging social services with social justice."
At Avenues, we talk about white privilege and racism, and their role in homelessness. We talk about trauma. And we talk about healing.
As you can see from some of the new programming at Avenues (described to the right), we're creating opportunities for healing and personal growth. That happens through programs (counseling, art, animal therapy, yoga, self-defense, groups), as well as one-on-one conversations youth have with a staff who is more interested in listening than in giving advice. We also started a vicarious trauma group for staff, so we can share with each other what this work means to us and how it affects us.
There is so much more for us to do and many more conversations to have as a community. Full transformation -- ending homelessness and building communities where we all have access to safe housing -- will only take place when individually and collectively we have shifted our relationship to power.
We are in this together - with you and with everyone who cares about ending homelessness. Thank you for being part of this commitment.
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Rocki Simões
Program Director
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Avenues celebrates our high school graduates
With support from a case manager, youth living at Avenues develop a plan to move towards independent living. An important element to the case management plan is education and employment support.
We are proud to announce that three youth currently living at Avenues and five youth in our after care program graduated from high school this year.
Congratulations!!!
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| Help Wanted
Volunteers
Have some extra time and want to help? We are looking for:
- Clothing closet organizer volunteers - An individual or small group is needed to organize our clothing closet on a monthly basis.
- Supplies organizing volunteers - Avenues receives many donations for our youth. We are in need of an individual to organize these supplies.
- Online sales/auction volunteer - A tech savvy volunteer is needed to set-up and monitor an online sale of items that have been donated to Avenues. The proceeds will benefit Avenues for Homeless Youth.
- Yard clean-up volunteers - We need a group of volunteers to spend a day in the yard at Avenues. This would include raking, trimming bushes, planting flowers, and additional activities to make our yard look great.
If you are interested in volunteering, contact Heather Rist -- heather@avenuesforyouth.org or 612-522-1690.
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| Thanks!
Thank you to our supporters during the month of June!
Organizations -- Carolyn Foundation, Hugh J. Andersen Foundation, Quota International - Minneapolis Chapter, Luther I. Replogle Foundation, Turner Family Foundation
Individuals -- Tim Baldoni, Steven and Nancy Birth, Erin Campbell, Corey Cantrell, Laura Eiklenborg, William and Laurie Forster, Shelley Kline, Carol Koepp, Natalie Levin, Celia Magillcuerden, Loretta Mallak, Nate and Laura Maring, James Nepp, Eric Orrington, Steven and Kathleen Peterson, Jeffery and Linda Raines, Ethel Reinharz, Joy Sandler and Harriet Lumel, Leonard and Linda Schloff, Malea Stenzel, Chuck Tombarge, Danielle Whitney, Charles Zimmerman
In-Kind Donations -- Best Buy PRIDE Employee Business Unit Network, Birds and the Bees Project, Katherine Cook, Carol Larson, Minnesota Association for Justice, Out in the Valley, Partners for Violence Prevention, RAZR Marketing, Second Harvest Heartland, Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus membership
Volunteers -- Kelly Brazil, Liesl Chatman, Ryan Li Dahlstrom, Colleen Fisher, Diane Long, Amy Marsicano, Kate Nilan, Sara Olson, Doris and Don Pagelkopf, Sarah Schwarts and Lona Dellessandro, Chuck Tombarge, Lisa Valley, Beth Zemsky, Avenues Board of Directors, GLBT Host Home Advisory Council
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| About Us
Avenues for Homeless Youth provides shelter and transitional housing with support services for homeless youth in a safe and nurturing environment. Through such service, Avenues seeks to help youth achieve their personal goals and find a positive transition into young adulthood.
At its North Minneapolis house, Avenues has 15 short-term beds and 1 emergency bed for youth ages 16 to 21. Youth receive basic needs and 24 x 7 caring of Avenues staff. While at Avenues, all youth work with case managers to pursue their individual goals of education, employment, housing, mental health and physical wellness.
Avenues also operates the GLBT Host Home Program, a community-based program that provides safe, supportive homes for homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.
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News/Updates
New programs at Avenues
Avenues recently added the following new monthly programs:
Media and Masculinity: A discussion of masculinity and gender roles, fatherhood and expectations of young men (especially African American young men) in today's media. Media and Masculinity is a program of Partners for Violence Prevention.
Paws for Peace: A type of therapy that uses "human companions," usually pet dogs, to build relationships and interact with clients. Paws for Peace is a program of Partners for Violence Prevention.
Sexual Health Education: A structured open discussion and information session on everything related to a young adults' sexual health. Sexual Health Education is part of the Birds and the Bees Program.
Self Defense: Teaches young adults to be aware of their surroundings and educates them on the techniques needed to escape an unexpected physical attack.
Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus
In the month of June, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus selected Avenues as its community partner to share the proceeds of the annual Songs from the Heart gala and the summer concert series ExtrABBAganza.
We are grateful for this exciting partnership and for the connections that have been made. Thank you to the members of the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus and all who attended the gala and concert.
Pictured from left: Heather Rist, Michael Liddell Jr. (Avenues Board member), Rocki Simoes, Deborah Loon and Susan Raffo.
Best Buy Corporate PRIDE group hosts collection
The PRIDE Employee Business Unit Network at Best Buy Corporate chose Avenues' youth as recipients of a corporate campus collection for personal care items. The week long drive was a huge success.
We are thankful for the support of the PRIDE Employee Business Unit Network and everyone at Best Buy Corporate Campus who donated items to the drive! Thank you for supporting Avenues and becoming advocates for homeless youth.
GLBT Host Home Program hosting August Informational Sessions
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