Transitional house will help homeless young men


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SALT LAKE CITY -- Homeless young men soon will have a new place to stay in Salt Lake County.

Volunteers of America today announced it has purchased a house in downtown Salt Lake with the help of federal and city grants and private donations.

Kathy Bray, president and CEO of Volunteers of America said, "To reach self-sufficiency, there is room in this house and there is room in our hearts."

The home will house 14 young men, ages 18 to 24, for anywhere from a few months to a year. They will have 24-hour supervision, school progress monitoring, tutoring and employment services, plus services to address emotional, physical and behavioral needs.

The transitional home needs renovation before young men can begin staying there, hopefully by next spring or summer. Volunteers of America still needs to raise $890,000 to complete the project.

Donors and advocates stepped forward to offer support today. John Netto once was a homeless teenager. He said, "I have compassion for their suffering, for sure. I know that somewhere, one of the boys here, or two or three - who knows - someday will come back and do this for the boys that come after them."

Bruce Bastian, a donor with the B.W. Bastian Foundation, said, "I think it's (sad), almost sinful, that there are homeless youth. I believe everybody should have at least a chance to pursue life and happiness."

Community advocate Pamela Atkinson added, "This will provide stability for many of our youth who have been thrown out of their own homes. Imagine being thrown out, kicked out, and told never to come back again."

A couple of blocks away is a house for homeless young women. It's been in operation for more than 10 years.

That facility now houses up to seven young women for 18 months or until they turn 20 years old. They have their own bedrooms, but share bathrooms, a kitchen where they make their own meals, and a living room. They share housekeeping responsibilities and are grateful for the facility.

One resident, Alexis Ivie, told KSL, "I got kicked out of my house in March and I was living with friends so I could graduate high school. My next step is a job and an apartment on my own."

Volunteers of America says the number of homeless young people has risen 160 percent over the past five years in Salt Lake County.

E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com

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Carole Mikita

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