Annual Report ---- 2014-2015
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ANNUAL REPORT ---- 2014-2015 ---- 3349221_Report_v7.indd49221_Report_v7.indd 1 22/11/16/11/16 111:201:20 AAMM President Steven F. Waranch, Psy. D TO OUR FRIENDS Vice President Rev. Mark Wilkinson & SUPPORTERS Secretary On behalf of our Board, staff and the 20,000 youth we serve annually Maxine Singleton, Ed.D through our Shelters, Street Outreach and Mentoring programs, I want Treasurer to thank you for taking a moment to review our past year’s activities. I John Babcock just marked my third year as Executive Director of Seton Youth Shelters, Immediate and it is an honor to serve in this capacity. 2015 also marked the start Past President of Seton Youth Shelters 30th year of serving runaway, homeless and Michael A. Inman, Esq. at-risk youth in our region and beyond. And, in those 30 years, we have changed the lives of more than 250,000 youth for the better. Daniel Barton, D.D.S. Diana Breuss This past year, we provided thousands of shelter nights, meals and Chuck Gray support services, and mentoring partnerships to our region’s youth. Becky Rankin We also assisted four underage victims of human sex trafficking from Kelly Rowe Linda Spindel across the country through our shelter program. But, I'm going to stop Gerald M. Travis myself there with numbers and statistics, because when it comes to James White your support of Seton, it's not those numbers that affect your decision Ros Willis to support our organization. Like me, it’s probably an experience you Brian Winfield have had with one person—one person whose story touched you and Mandy Yoder made you realize how important it is to support our mission. Or, maybe Advisory Board it’s your own family story. In my case, several years after my son ran Jackie Amato away as a teenager, I saw an opportunity to give back and help other Jay Burnell children and parents in crisis through coming to work for Seton. It has Earlene Coyner been one of the best and most rewarding decisions I’ve ever made. Sara Harris Steve Heretick Many of our staff and Board Members, event sponsors, and corporate Elaine Inman Hogan and individual donors know of one family member or friend who whose Shawn Johnson life has been or could be changed for the better through our programs. Mark Lipton, O.D. Susan Martin Chances are, you received this year’s annual report because of your Matthew Minor personal support of Seton Youth Shelters in 2015. I ask that as you read Diane Monroe about our past year, and learn more about the stories of the youth we Greg Span serve, you think about how Seton Youth Shelters has impacted their Bill Van Hoy, CFP lives—or perhaps the life of just one youth we have assisted. Your Patricia West Rosemary Wilson support is critical in enabling Seton Youth Shelters to continue making Ted Yoder a difference in the lives of young people every day, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day—always free of charge to youth and their families. Executive Director Jennifer Sieracki Thank you and have a safe and happy 2016! With gratitude, Jennifer Sieracki Executive Director Board Members are volunteers and do not receive compensation. 3349221_Report_v7.indd49221_Report_v7.indd 2 22/11/16/11/16 111:201:20 AAMM OUR MISSION Seton Youth Shelters shall provide a safe haven, counseling & outreach services, 24 hours per day, without charge to assist youth in crisis throughout Hampton Roads with the goal of reuniting families. HOW WE BEGAN... VIRGINIAN PILOT 1985 3349221_Report_v7.indd49221_Report_v7.indd 3 22/11/16/11/16 111:201:20 AAMM SHELTERS Seton Youth Shelters is the region’s only organization dedicated solely to providing 24-hour emergency shelter and comprehensive services to youth 9-18. The program serves runaway and homeless youth, and youth in crisis within their family, school, community and more. No situation is ever the same at Seton Youth Shelters and our counselors treat each resident with privacy, respect and an open mind. At our two gender-specific shelters in Central Virginia Beach, residents receive counseling, personal support and encouragement in a homelike setting including family-style dinner, clothes, school supplies, recreation and field trips. All residents attend local public schools, unless parents provide transportation to their home school. Our educated and trained staff have sessions with each resident and their families to improve communication and reconcile family and personal issues. Our counselors’ support does not end the day a resident is discharged. Each resident receives aftercare which includes community referrals, more counseling (if needed) and a follow-up. With our successful counseling, 89% of youth report an improved relationship with parents and families. 81% 73% 92 % 89 % History of Abuse History of Abuse of Youth of Youth Among Girls Among Boys Returned Home Reported an Average Average Improved Age: 15 Age: 14 Relationship with Parents & Families 84% of youth achieved goals of healthy anger management We Average 14 Youth Per Night | Total Shelter Bed Days = 4,410 Average Stay = 21 Days | Average Cost Per Night Per Youth = $200 3349221_Report_v7.indd49221_Report_v7.indd 4 22/11/16/11/16 111:201:20 AAMM MENTORING CHILDREN OF PRISONERS PROGRAM The Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) program is available to youth 4 to 18 years old who have been affected by the incarceration (past or present) of an adult loved one. Each youth spends approximately one hour per week for a year with a trained, adult mentor. The goal of the MCP program is to make a positive impact on youth by matching them with an adult friend who will foster a sense of self-confidence and a positive outlook for the future. Volunteer mentors are provided with initial training and ongoing support from our staff for the duration of the match. This program is offered at no cost to the mentee or their family. Mentoring helps youth avoid certain risk-taking behaviors. Compared to children without mentors, youth with mentors are… MAKE “BEING A KID” 46% 27% 52% A LITTLE less likely to start less likely to start less likely to EASIER using drugs using alcohol skip school An incarceration affects the *Source: Big Brothers Big Sisters press release, Oct. 14, 2004 entire family. The child may have a hard time adjusting 55% more likely to be enrolled in college to a change in the family 78% more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities structure or feel uneasy about explaining the situation to more likely to report participating regularly in 81% sports or extracurricular activities well-meaning peers and adults. *Source: Mentor: The National Mentoring Partnership, Jan. 2014 Some children have concerns An additional 21 children have been interviewed and accepted that call for an adult perspective; into this program and are waiting for an appropriate match. however, they may be reluctant Mentoring Children of Prisoners Youth served via Matches = 91 to share them with a relative. Meeting regularly with a mentor allows a child to develop a CAREFULLY SCREENED relationship with a trustworthy adult. Mentors are trained VOLUNTEERS to know it is important that Each child’s mentor is well-prepared for his or her role. All volunteers are at least 20 years old and have passed a Child Protective Services check, a criminal the child shares thoughts or background check, Sex Offender Registry check and a DMV check. They have problems with family and will also completed training prepared and presented by the professional staff at encourage them to do so. Seton Youth Shelters. 3349221_Report_v7.indd49221_Report_v7.indd 5 22/11/16/11/16 111:201:20 AAMM STREET OUTREACH PROGRAM Our Van-based Street Outreach Program (SOP) travels through Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Hampton and Newport News accessing 400 square miles of Hampton Roads. SOP is a mobile unit staffed by two- person professional counseling teams, offering the same services as our Youth Street Outreach Center. Each Tuesday from 7-10 p.m., Seton staff and volunteers open the second-story doors of the Virginia Beach United Methodist Church’s Potter’s House, known as the Crow’s Nest. Youth up to the age of 21 find a safe haven with caring adults who offer crisis counseling, food and drink, access to emergency shelter, clothing, hygiene items, substance abuse education, community referrals, a G.E.D. study hall, employment posting board and Family/Runaway Message Board. The Street Outreach Program provides even greater access to emergency youth services by traveling through Hampton Roads seeking high-risk areas where youth congregate. Year to date, we reached just under 22,000 youth in Hampton Roads. Youth Served by City VIRGINIA BEACH 30% PORTSMOUTH 9% HAMPTON / NEWPORT NEWS 34% CHESAPEAKE 10% NORFOLK 17% SETON YOUTH SHELTERS’ 11,626 10,123 STREET OUTREACH PROGRAM REACHED YOUTH AGES 12 YOUTH AGES 12-21 & YOUNGER 21,749 YOUTH LAST YEAR Seton Youth Shelters is a National Safe Place licensed 0 5000 10000 15000 20000 25000 agency, providing youth in crisis 12 to 17 years old, immediate access to help through a network of area sites sustained by qualified agencies, trained volunteers, Fiscal Year 2014/2015 and businesses. THE CROSSROADS RESIDENCE Seton's Crossroads Residence, part of its Street Outreach Program, addresses the gap in service for 18 to 24-year-old homeless youth in Hampton Roads. Crossroads houses up to seven young adults in a co-ed neighborhood setting and is staffed by a full-time Case Manager and a live-in Resident Advisor, with 24-hour on-call support and response by the Director of the Street Outreach Program. 3349221_Report_v7.indd49221_Report_v7.indd 6 22/11/16/11/16 111:201:20 AAMM STREET OUTREACH HAPPY BEGINNINGS In November 2013 I became homeless.