When we first walked in the door, a youth worker asked us if we were hydrated. Sitting down in the staff office to start the interview, a different youth worker asked if we wanted water, tea, or coffee. About 20 minutes later, Safehouse Manager, Manda, checked if we’d like anything to drink. By then, we laughed at the abundant gestures of hospitality. It’s clear this wasn’t because we were coworkers— it’s how everyone who walks through the doors at Safehouse is greeted and treated: with care, respect, and dignity.
Members from the Communications and Fund Development teams had the chance to sit down with Safehouse staff. We wanted to understand what they wish people knew about the 24/7/365 nature of their work. To summarize: being there for youth goes far beyond providing food and a bed. When a resource is open 24/7/365, there’s space for creativity, deeper rapport, and, simply put, for dignity to be at the forefront of the work.
It Feels Like a Home
The nine beds at Safehouse are usually full. The youth living here have left their home because they didn’t have another real option. Home, for whatever reason, isn’t safe. As you can probably imagine, it takes a lot to run a house with nine teenagers.
Of course there are crises, arguments, and daily struggles. But more than that, there’s laughter, fun, and a sense of community. There are celebrations for holidays, someone’s birthday, graduations, and other achievements. There’s group cooking, gardening, and art. There are naps and other forms of rest.
The breadth and depth of what Safehouse provides is only really possible because of the space and time that being staffed 24/7 allows. You can’t fit all of these things, these deeply meaningful forms of support, into a one-hour meeting during business hours. You can’t support all of who someone is in the same way when you can’t be there whenever they need a helping hand.
The nature of 24/7 means that staff get to see the bigger picture of what a young person is going through: when they wake up chipper or irritated, their big and small wins and losses. Sometimes a young person will stay at Safehouse multiple times between the ages of 16 and 19, and staff get to see how they change over the years. They get to be surprised and reminded that even when working with the same youth, their needs and goals evolve.
More than Casework
The 24/7 model means youth and staff get to create a more individualized approach to case management. At Safehouse, youth aren’t required to do. Instead, they get a place to be. To be silly, creative, relaxed: safe. Just like youth who are living with parents and caregivers. And when youth feel safe, they can focus on the casework.
Youth who stay at Safehouse co-create plans with their youth workers. They set goals and ways to achieve them. We offer a lot of flexibility. Goals are allowed to change as a youth’s understanding of what they want or need changes. And, importantly, we offer flexibility in how and when to start the goal-setting work, sometimes waiting until a young person has been at the house for a week. The significance of this? They have breathing room. A chance to catch their breath. A moment to themselves. And a chance to get to know us.
Care with dignity at the core holds space for all of who someone is. It gives youth their autonomy and the skills to trust their own decision making and ability to learn and grow along the way. This is a facet of trauma-informed, client-led care and it’s central to the work being done across Directions Youth Services—every hour of every single day of the year.
If you want to support work that center dignity for unhouse youth, please make a donation today.