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County’s Teen Support Program
Photo courtesy of Monica Cade
Community volunteers fill gift bags for the students in need. JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
While larger metropolitan areas, such as Portland, Salem and Eugene are facing increasing challenges with homelessness, a group of St. Helens volunteers and the St. Helens School District is partnering to help students challenged with living situations. Columbia County resident Monica Cade launched The Teen Support Program in the fall of 2015 after seeing how some of her son’s school mates were living on their own without parental support. “I watched how they struggled to meet basic needs, yet remain in school,” Cade said. “I saw how hard it was for them. I wanted to help other kids with the same circumstances, and that’s how The Teen Support program began.” Cade partnered with the Day Breakers Kiwanis, a St. Helens based fraternal group, and began working directly with the St. Helens School Districts to help teens with the greatest need throughout the school year. “So they can stay in school, increase attendance, and graduate,” she said. “Our primary target is helping unaccompanied, homeless teens, but we will also provide support for other teens living in difficult situations. We rely on the school district to tell us
2020 CHRONICLE
what they need, and then we work to fill that request.” Cade’s group has also created Fab-Paks, a collection of personal care products for the students. “We provide food bags designed for the couchsurfing teen during the long breaks, holiday gifts, backpacks filled with everything they need to be successful in school, graduation gifts, and fill other requests during the school year that could include clothing and bedding needs, gas cards for transportation to school, grocery and fast food gift cards, emergency food bags, etc,” she said. “Eventually, we would also like to be able to offer teens an opportunity to ‘opt in’ for mentoring.” In addition to the Day Breakers, Cade enlisted the efforts of volunteers 55 and older through RSVP to sort, organize, assemble bags and wrap gifts to help make the program successful. RSVP is a national service program under Senior Corps. Cade is the director of the Columbia County RSVP. By the numbers According to St. Helens School District homeless liaison, Jennifer Bartocci, currently, the District is supporting over 125 students district wide who qualify for McKinney-Vento support. Of those, about 45 teens are currently unaccompanied as well. Under the McKinney-Ven-
to Homeless Assistance Act, described by the National Center For Homeless Education, the term “homeless children and youths” means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes: • Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals. • Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. • Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and migratory children. Bartocci said McKinneyVento teens in Columbia County are most commonly doubled up with friends or extended family, or are living in less than adequate settings. “Each student we support has their own unique history,” Bartocci said. “Many times there is more than one reason they are in their current situation. We’ve learned that regardless of where they
Community volunteers assemble holiday food bags for the students.
find themselves, each and every student deserves the opportunity and support to fully realize their potential and gifts. The situations they find themselves in do not, and should not define who they are or what they are capable of.” Bartocci said preparing students to navigate resources and support on their own can be their greatest challenge. “Most unaccompanied youth are 16-18 years of age, and are now required to become adults in a world that still sees them as children,” she said. “Obtaining a driver’s license, car insurance and accessing checking accounts, without a parent or guardian, are some of our greatest challenges.” Bartocci said the students also are navigating food insecurity, obtaining medical insurance on their own, and looking for housing options that will last for more than a few nights. Youth resilience “Though these challenges may seem overwhelming, I am constantly impressed by the resilience of our youth, for the potential they represent and the hard work they put into tackling each and every barrier in their path,” Bartocci said. “Some of our recent McKinney-Vento graduates are currently enrolled in college, or vocational programs, or are employed
and living independently, and there are a few in and out of Oregon, currently giving back to their communities. Bartocci said The Teen Support Program has been a huge support for youth. “Not only in St. Helens, but over the last year or two, they have expanded to other areas of Columbia County as well,” she said. Bartocci said regular updates with key district staff focusing on student attendance, academic progress and identification of other needs ensures that the St. Helens School District’s discovering and meeting student needs in an ongoing way. According to Bartocci, the District is utilizing district Title I-A set-aside funds, which provide for a variety of student needs that include: transportation resources to maintain school of origin, tutoring, access to extracurricular activities, replacement of vital documents, testing fees and educationally related items for students, among others. “Developing relationships with partners in our community is critical to the success of our students,” Bartocci said. “We work closely with local service agencies, business owners, and our faith based community. We have learned that changing the course for a child only takes one caring adult, I am grateful to have personally seen the positive impact it can
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Photo courtesy of Monica Cade
make.” “Our community is full of generous individuals and organizations that care about these kids, and want to be able to help,” Cade said. “Most support this program through donations during the holidays.” Cade said an example of the organizations that help include the Columbia River Fire & Rescue Volunteer Association, the First Lutheran Church, the Sole Sisters, the John L. Scott team, employees and volunteers of the Habitat for Humanity Restore, Dr. VanGordon, Dr. Ammon, the Rainier Senior Center, Oregon Trail Lanes, and the St Helens Kiwanis. How you can help
“I’m so grateful to everyone and really appreciate their support,” Cade said. “But we would like to expand the number of kids we are able to help, so I’m always looking for donations.” Cade said grocery, clothing, gas, and fast food gift cards are always appreciated. There is ongoing need for full size personal care products such as deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, tampons, lotion, razors and shaving cream. Donations may be dropped off to Monica Cade at the Columbia River Fire & Rescue administration office, 270 Columbia Blvd. in St. Helens.
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