A Safe Haven for Youth in Jeopardy
There are young people in jeopardy in our community. Those with strained family relationships, at risk of running away. Homeless kids struggling to meet the immediate needs of safety, food, and shelter. Kids living on the streets who do not fall victim to hazards like exposure to substance abuse and violence, criminal activity, and sexual exploitation, are often unable to finish their education and enter the workforce. They must sacrifice their future to the needs of the moment.
These youth are at a critical point in their lives, when their choices have long-term implications, a time when support and help can most empower them toward personal responsibility and self-sufficiency, allowing them to build the futures they want.
They are our community’s children, and we are here to help. Cascade Youth and Family Center has been serving runaway and homeless youth in our region since 1989, helping them on their path to becoming productive and contributing members of our community. We offer a continuum of services to this most vulnerable population, and are the only programs of this kind in Central and Eastern Oregon, with 15 counties to the north and east of Deschutes County without the same runaway and homeless youth services.
We meet kids where they are and our programs build upon each other: from engaging youth on the street, through providing stability and developing life skills and personal responsibility, to helping them set goals and follow a plan to transition to into self-sufficiency.
We work for kids living with or without their parent or guardian who are …
– Couch surfing or staying temporarily with friends or family
– Living in an unsafe or unstable environment at home
– Unable to resolve conflict with parents or guardians
– Sleeping unsheltered, outside, in a car, or other places not meant for housing
We value diversity and welcome young people from all backgrounds. We do not discriminate based on ethnicity, cultural identity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion.
