Evergreen's Safe Streets is a program that works with young people ages 10-21 who are homeless, on run, kicked out, or couch hopping. One of the goals of the program is to keep youth safe by reducing the number of youth living on the streets who are at high risk of sexual exploitation, abuse and/or violence. A second goal is to improve the ability of youth to successfully return to their family and/or community.

What kinds of services and support can Safe Streets help with? Safe Streets can:

• A youth who has been on-run for two weeks because of conflict at home
• A youth who has slept at a friend's for the weekend because they are afraid to go home
• A youth who has gone back and forth from relatives to friends for a couple of months because they can not live at home
• A youth who was kicked out of the house because of conflict
• A youth who has been on their own since they were 15
• A youth who is not "on run," but maybe stays at friends more than at home because home is unsafe
• A youth who is living at home with a parent who abuses alcohol
• A youth who experiences abuse in the home
• A youth who is living with a relative but who experiences frequent truancy
• A 20-year old who has been evicted from their apartment and has nowhere to go
• A 19-year old with a baby who has a pattern of going from place to place to live

IF YOU NEED HELP, CALL LAURA OR MATT AT SAFE STREETS ... 751-8223

Involvement with the Safe Streets worker is voluntary on the part of the youth. It is not a court ordered program, nor does a social worker mandate it. Services are available for any youth who is in need.

• Safe Streets can work with young people on a variety of levels.
• Sometimes youth come in who are ready to get off the street and they want to go to a shelter. However, sometimes there are youth who are not ready to go to the shelter, but are still in need of services. For example, a youth might need to be seen by a doctor, or maybe they just want somebody to talk to while they eat a hot meal.
• And, whether a youth asks for help with one problem or several, all services are free and confidential.

• Help you obtain temporary shelter, transitional or permanent housing
• Help you meet basic physical needs, such as food, clothing, shampoo, toothbrush, etc.
• Help you address and educate about sexual risks and abuse
• Help you address physical health problems or concerns
• Help you address mental health problems or concerns
• Help you address educational and school problems
• Help you address chemical abuse issues
• Help you develop skills required for building positive relationships
• Help you address employment needs
• Help you with apartment hunting
• Help you with prevention of pregnancy, HIV and STDs
• Provide counseling
• Provide advocacy (this refers to going with someone to a meeting, to help address concerns to a third person, to help fill out paperwork, etc.)
• Help you with family reunification
• Provide referrals to other agencies
• Provide follow-up and aftercare to help with problems that arise after youth return home or make other living arrangements