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SALT LAKE CITY — By design, Volunteers of America's nearly completed Youth Resource Center isn't just a place to flop.
It's a safe and comfortable place for homeless and at-risk youths to seek food and shelter, figure out their next moves and assemble the supports they need to be successful.
Rob Wesemann, division director of Volunteers of America's homeless services in Utah, said the facility and programming will be engagement-based.
"The ultimate goal is to get off the streets, not just stay in shelter," Wesemann said.
On Wednesday, Volunteers of America officials offered a sneak peek of the nearly completed center, which is scheduled to open in late May.
The center means that Volunteers of America, for the very first time in Utah, will provide shelter beds and round-the-clock assistance for youths ages 15-22.
But the even the names of the facility's rooms — named for trains that have historically traveled through Salt Lake City — suggest the center is not a destination but a stop on a journey to stability and, hopefully, self-sufficiency.
For example, cots in sleeping areas will be set up and cleared each day by staff, volunteers and clients.
"Everyone will take responsibility for the sleeping space. It's not come in and plop down. They're invested in the process," Wesemann said.
Volunteers of America has operated a homeless youth resource center on State Street since 1999, offering day services such as meals, referral services and clothing distribution. The storefront has also been a staging area for street outreach workers.
But the facility had no shelter beds, was open limited hours, and the tiny footprint limited the types of programming the nonprofit agency could offer.
Plus, it nagged the staff to turn homeless and struggling youths out on the streets at closing time. "We'd just have to hope we saw them the next day," said Volunteers of America spokeswoman DeAnn Zebelean.
The new center is 20,000 square feet on two floors, with space for group meetings, a computer lab, classrooms, offices, private spaces for case management and an onsite legal clinic.
The center, located at 888 S. 400 West, also has lockers for client storage, laundry facilities, showers and an industrial kitchen where volunteers can prepare meals for youths. Officials expect to serve about 800 individual homeless youths each year.
Volunteers of America will also have programming for at-risk youths such as children aging out of foster care and those who have received drug, tobacco and alcohol citations.
The center has a separate entry for donations and dedicated space for volunteers to sort donations and perform other functions.
The first floor has an inviting commons area with a fireplace, along with a grab-and-go pantry and a "store" for clothing.
Mathew Wools, a Volunteers of America client who moved to Utah in November from Texas, said the facility and programming will mean a lot to youths.
"It's nice to have a place to call sort of your own," he said.
Wools, 19, said he aged out of the Texas foster care system and decided to move to Salt Lake City because he enjoys outdoor activities.
Salt Lake is a welcoming place for people experiencing homelessness, he said.
Just minutes after stepping off the Greyhound bus on Thanksgiving morning, someone handed him an entire pumpkin pie, Wools said.
"That would never happen in San Antonio," he said.
Wools has been staying at The Road Home's community shelter but said he plans to move into an apartment in a few weeks. He's hoping a recent job interview will result in a job offer.
"I'm a little bummed out I won't get to actually stay here, but I'm always going to come and visit. If anything, I'll probably end up volunteering here," Wools said.
While he's grateful for the shelter he's been offered since coming to Utah, Wools said a dedicated space for youths will enhance their safety and their sense of security.
"Just that alone will be a really big life-changer," he said.
Wesemann said Volunteers of America also wants the community to feel welcome in the new center. It is encouraging community groups to use its meeting space for board meetings or other functions.
"It's not just a center for youth. It's for the community," he said.
Contributing: Ladd Egan
