2005-06 Program Statistics2005-06 Our Busiest Year EverTeens Alone made history last year. We far exceeded the number of teens and families we usually serve. Counselors answered 620 crisis calls, as opposed to our average of 425. And we counseled 472 teens and families, almost 25% higher than average. This community uses our services! So why did we have to cut one of our counselor's hours by 25%? In the midst of more and more teens and parents using our free service, a major funding source, Local Collaborative Time Study (LCTS), is drying up. LCTS provides federal money that was made available at the community level to help prevent out-of-home placements for young people. Teens Alone fit that criterion to a "T." Unfortunately, almost all of this funding is being cut. So, in the midst of our busiest year in history, the board was forced to cut one counselor's hours by 25%. We are hopeful this proactive measure is temporary as we monitor the outcome of more budget cuts this year. Help us bring this counseling position back to full time by the beginning of the next school year. West Metro Homeless Youth Teens Alone's "typical" client is a 16 year old (19%), Caucasian (66%), female (56%), and having problems at home. The trend we are most concerned about it that thirty-six percent of the youth we saw last year were in a housing crisis, which we define as either on the verge of, or having already lost stable housing. Teens Alone hosted two West Metro Homeless Youth Summits and formed the West Metro Homeless Youth Task Force. We are working with many of our partners to figure out ways to keep our neighborhoods' youth safe, sheltered, and in school. What People Say About Teens Alone A school social worker commented, "We don't have the luxury to experiment. We have to go with organizations that produce results. Teens Alone is a signature organization in our community." A Family Practice Physician who works with adolescents said, "Kids know about Teens Alone and count on them. It places a burden on us all to maintain this free service, to ensure that this essential support does not dissipate into funding cuts and competing priorities. Teens Alone is a critical community investment in our kids' futures." And a young lady said, "Thanks for listening to me. It was a lot easier to tell my parents what I did with you helping me. They're still mad at me but it could have been a lot worse. Thanks for helping me work this thing out." | ||
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