In Youth Service, Inc. Spotlights, we aim to recognize clients who have overcome their hardships to find success through our programming. In this post, we are highlighting our Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) program. RHY is a voluntary service for youth ages 12 to 17 who have run away from home or who are uncomfortable with their current living situation and need support. The program provides them with short-term emergency shelter and helps them work with their family to resolve conflicts through mediation, support for family reunification, and advocacy for youth. The program also offers resources for healthy relationships, education, and physical health.
An eviction led to TJ coming to YES. The temporary space his family found did not have enough room to include him or so he was told at first. TJ’s hurt and sadness displayed as anger. His little brother was able to go with his family, but he was later told that his behavior was a barrier to being at the temporary home. At the YES RHY Basic Center Program, TJ was able to talk about his feelings and how he expressed them and ways to manage those feelings in times of crisis. TJ and the RHY Outreach worker were able to discover that TJ’s anger was connected to his educational barriers. Together TJ and the RHY Outreach worker developed a plan to address his educational needs and his expression of anger. With the help of the RHY program, TJ enrolled in Job Corps and left the RHY Basic Center to transition into trade school where he will earn his diploma and skills for sustainable employment. Although his family situation did not progress as he had hoped, he did find success on his own.
To learn more about Youth Service, Inc.’s RHY program please visit : https://ysiphilly.org/youth-emergency-service/