Dòchas Youth Services

06/11/2026

Last year, Dòchas staff provided 933 hours of Crisis Intervention and Aftercare, 1,824 hours of case management, and 162 hours of Counseling for our most vulnerable youth across our communities. Please consider reaching out to your legislator today, using the information and link below! Our youth cannot afford to be a budget cut...they deserve so much more!

05/30/2026

We have more class dates available! These free classes are now offered with both weekday and weekend classes. They are available to anyone who is interested - not just those within our program. Classes will be hosted in-person at our Jackson Office, or a virtual option for those who are interested.

Sign-up is necessary and available online at www.dochas.org/classes

If you are in one of our other service counties and are interested in bringing these classes in-person you can reach out to our program director - Emily Oxbrough - either through our contact page online or calling our help line and navigating to her number.

05/11/2026

A youth we are working with in Hillsdale is moving into his own apartment tomorrow! He is in need of a queen-sized bed or mattress. If you have one to donate, or know where we could get one, please let us know! 517-788-4605, or [email protected].

04/27/2026

We are excited to announce the official launch of our Life Skills Classes. Created for youth/young adults who are entering the "real world" classes will focus on a number of different life skills, including budgeting, taxes, time management, getting and maintaining a home and vehicle, and more.

Starting May 16th and running until June 13th, we will be hosting a class each Saturday. There are a total of 4 class options, Three 1-hour long sessions, or a 3-hour long Master class. These classes are offered In-person at our Jackson office, or a virtual option for those where transportation might be an issue.

Sign-up is necessary and available online at www.dochas.org/classes

If you are in one of our other service counties and are interested in bringing these classes in-person you can reach out to our program director - Emily Oxbrough - either through our contact page online or calling our help line and navigating to her number.

03/27/2026

We are very excited to have partnered with the interfaith shelter as we roll out our life skills classes for youth. While typically geared towards youth and young adults, we were happy to open it up to the entire shelter.

The goal of these classes are to help youth learn and build self-sufficiency skills. Geared specifically towards young adults who are entering the world, we teach terms, concepts, and basic skills that are necessary for adult life. We currently do not have any other classes scheduled at this time, but if you are interested in learning more you can check out our website at www.dochas.org

We had a great turnout for the first of three self-sufficiency classes with Emily from Dòchas Youth Services. While typically their primary focus is youth, they opened up this opportunity to all ages. Thank you Emily for your partnership!

12/14/2025

There are many causes of homelessness. While lack of affordable housing is the leading cause, another major cause of homelessness is the lack of available resources. With housing taking up a large portion of income (sometimes up to 50% or more), Individuals and families do not have the income available to spend on food, gas, and other basic necessities. However, available resources are slim and difficult to gain access to. Many individuals make above the 200% federal poverty level required for Food Stamps and other assistance yet still don’t have enough money to make ends meet.

Many individuals and families don’t have much social support either. This can be due to family rejection, social isolation, a lack of ability to stay in contact, and family/friends who are also homeless or impoverished. Without social support and available resources, many individuals and families lose their housing.

For more homeless statistics, see this article:

Homeless People in the US 2025 Homelessness represents one of America's most pressing social challenges, affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals and families across the nation. The issue has reached unprecedented levels, with the most recent data revealing alarming increases…

12/12/2025

Today we are excited to announce that we are in the process of creating life skills classes for youth. Many youths talk about going into adulthood without basic knowledge of resources and skills. While these classes are still in development, we are looking for your opinions!

Below is a linked survey of potential class subjects we are looking to offer. We're interested in hearing youth and young adults' opinions (specifically 12-21) of things that they want to or wish they would have known before entering adulthood.
This survey will be available until the end of January. Please share this so we can be sure to have class subjects that are catered to what youth and young adults want to learn!

You can find the survey at:

12/09/2025

Federal Funding Cuts Have Been Withdrawn — Your Advocacy Works!

Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH) is proud to have taken the lead—alongside the Michigan Attorney General’s Office—to push back against these harmful cuts. We extend our gratitude to our members and everyone who reached out to their Members of Congress (almost 200 of you on MCAH's CongressPlus platform alone). Your voices made a difference.

While this is an important step forward, the matter is not fully resolved. MCAH will continue to press for state stopgap funding as we wait for next steps at the federal level.

This initial victory shows what we can achieve together, but our work is far from over.
Join MCAH today as we prepare for what comes next.

If you’re not yet a member, now is the time.

https://www.mihomeless.org/membership/

12/09/2025

The number 1 cause of Homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. Housing costs have significantly increased while wages have stagnated. Individuals often spend over 30% of their income on housing, leaving individuals and families with little money for basic necessities and one big bill away from homelessness. The current fair market rate in Michigan for a 1-bedroom is $1,022 a month, with minimum wage sitting at $12.48 an hour. This means that in order to afford a 1-bedroom apartment, someone would have to work 63 hours a week.

For many, making more than minimum wage is inaccessible. Higher education is expensive, and loans aren’t always accessible to people. There are also challenges such as lack of transportation, time constraints (if they are already working), and lack of childcare. Affordable housing is slim and difficult to find, and Fair Market Rentals often require not only first months rent, but also a security deposit, meaning you have to have a large sum of money up front, a cost that many people can’t afford.

For a more in-depth look at cost breakdown, see this article: https://nlihc.org/oor/state/mi

To see more information on homeless statistics, you can view this article: https://www.theglobalstatistics.com/united-states-homeless-statistics/

shows how difficult it is for renters to find affordable housing. Find out how much a renter must earn to afford a modest home at https://nlihc.org/oor

12/05/2025