The Faces of Youth Homelessness

07/20/2022

Happy birthday, Danny!

06/30/2022

If you want to get a taste of what it's like to be a homeless street youth, we are walking in the shoes of homeless street youth and see what they go through on a daily basis. From having to fight for food and shelter, to contending with the elements, we will give you a first-hand look at the conditions they live in. It's eye-opening, it's harrowing, but it's also an important experience that everyone should have. You can help support these youngsters by raising awareness about their plight. So put on a brave face and walk a night in their shoes. It'll be an experience you'll never forget.
https://fb.me/e/2viwAI3cL

06/13/2022

Hey everyone!!. We assist houseless street youth navigate systems and access resources to move forward in life and towards their goals. We are looking for more outreach volunteers who would be interested in going into the camps and other areas where kids are living on the streets. We serve ages 13-25, and you might be surprised at how many kids are on the streets!! I’ve found this to be extremely rewarding and at times very challenging, but the team we have is amazing and I’m really grateful to be part of it. I’ve been enjoying this way more than I expected to, so I figured it would be a good idea to invite more community members to the team! If you’re interested please contact me for more details, or you can visit https://www.ourarkyth.org to learn more as well 💜💜💜

The number one question people have is regarding the time commitment. We have folks on the team who volunteer as little as once a month or as much as every day! It’s all about how much time you choose to be involved. Thank you for your interest!

01/23/2022

It's almost the end of Mentorship Month! We need more mentors! It's an amazing experience watching these youth grow and mature and start to make wonderful life decisions based on your help. I've helped my youth get jobs, bank accounts, get a handle on medical issues, call on behalf of their own needs when in the beginning they were too scared, etc. I would not change what I'm doing or their impact in MY life for anything.

12/01/2021

Washington Homelessness Statistics

As of January 2020, Washington had an estimated 22,923 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Of that Total, 2,116 were family households, 1,607 were Veterans, 1,777 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 6,756 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
https://www.usich.gov/homelessness-statistics/wa/
Who are homeless Youth?

They are caring, loving, respectful people. They are kids. They are a part of your community. They are resourceful. They are afraid of retribution. They are accepting. They are kind. They want a second chance to prove to you they are worth it. They want a community they want to thrive in. Homeless youth, sometimes referred to as “unaccompanied” youth, are individuals who lack parental, foster, or institutional care.

Where are they?

• Sleeping at a friend’s house or couch surfing
• Riding the subway or staying on the street
• Trading work or s*x for a place to stay or other needed resources
• Living in a car, sleeping in wooded areas, abandoned buildings, or other
public places
• Staying in a crisis shelter or transitional shelter
• Forced to leave their home with nowhere to go

Don't they choose to be homeless?

The overwhelming majority of young homeless people want to get off the street and into stable adequate housing. A homeless existence is characterized by demeaning environments, numerous threats to survival, and the most abject poverty affecting every aspect of daily existence.

Young homeless people often become homeless in order to escape violence or abuse happening in their homes such as ............

Want to know more? Click the link below

https://www.ourarkyth.org/blog

Our Ark Youth Tiny Homes is a small grass root organization. It is defined to decrease homelessness thru building eight tiny homes in our community serving youth ages 18-24, in a safe secure environment.

11/21/2021

Hello everyone😀 hope everybody is having a good day. I was wondering if anyone can help with snacks to full our 1 gallon street outreach bags to give to homeless street youth.

There are not as many groups going out to feed around the areas as it was before. But my team and I are still out because we know what it means to go a day without food.

Having food insecurities causes delay mental and physical health. We want our youth to be as healthy as we can provide.

Do you have the means to help with a box peanut butter crackers, beef Jerry sticks, juices boxes, nuts, and anything healthy. It would help us and them a great deal.

If you dont want to go to the store and want us to do it for you, just donate to this important cause. Not only do we support in food insecurities, we also conduct follow up with the 25 youth we engage each time. Your support could mean one less person on the street.

Www.ourarkyth.org
Can you donate today?

Cashapp: $OurArkyth
Paypal:
Venmo:

Our Ark is more than just a youth organization - it’s a way of life. At Our Ark, we care about what we do and strive to empower the lives of youth in the Thurston County community through our wide range of programs. We help shape our youth into young leaders of the future so they walk out of our d...

11/04/2021

The Stone & Steel Barbershop is partnering with Our Ark to raise funds to house 2 houseless youths for 30 days in a hotel to support them in their life skills and education.

We are asking for your cash donations and warm clothing items (socks, gloves, etc.) to allow us to give 2 houseless youths a safe and warm place to lay their heads while they get back on their feet.

Now through December 31, if you bring a grocery store gift card (Safeway, WinCo, Fred MEYER, etc) of $20 or more, for every $20 donation you will receive $5 off your service at The Stone & Steel Barbershop. Let’s give back to the community this Holiday Season! No purchase necessary, all grocery gift card donations accepted!

You can donate cash, grocery store gift cards, and warm clothing items at The Stone & Steel Barbershop located at 1222 S 2nd Ave SW, Suite A, Tumwater, WA 98512