Services are free to youth and families
The Evergreen Shelter provides shelter, counseling and support services for youth of various backgrounds and ages, 9-17 years, who are experiencing some form of immediate personal or family crisis. The shelter can house up to 10 youth at a time and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.
Shelter stays are temporary (generally limited to a maximum of 14 days). Extended stays may be available through the Short Term Shelter Program for youth awaiting placement (See Short Term Shelter Program description for more information).
Youth, their families, and other caregivers are also eligible to receive free drop-in counseling and/or family counseling services. Call 751-4332 to make an appointment or request help with a particular issue or problem.
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Services
Crisis Intervention
Evergreen has skilled, caring staff on duty 24 hours a day to assess the crisis situation, and help to resolve the conflict and address the issues that may have brought the youth and/or family to the shelter.
Gang identification training and intervention
If you suspect your child is gang affiliated or "experimenting" with gang involvement, contact the Evergreen Shelter. Shelter staff can provide gang identification training to help you determine whether your child is involved. In addition, if your child is gang-affiliated, Shelter staff can help provide intervention services for your family to help your child resist gang involvement or decrease their gang involvement.
Alcohol and Drug education and intervention
If you suspect that your child is involved with alcohol or drugs, the Evergreen Shelter can help. Staff can help you access a Rule 25 chemical dependency assessment, provide referrals for treatment services, and help you understand the different requirements of parenting a child who is involved in the drug subculture.
Emergency Shelter
The Evergreen Shelter provides emergency shelter, food, clothing and personal hygiene supplies to those who stay at the shelter.
Education
Whenever appropriate, Evergreen staff will ensure that youth can continue to attend their regular school during their stay at the Shelter. Youth can also receive tutorial instruction from a school district tutor in the evenings if needed.
Supervised Daily Living
The Evergreen Shelter provides supervised structured daily living with an emphasis on social and independent living skills. Youth are taught basic skills such as hygiene, nutrition, and goal setting. In addition, youth are taught social skills such as respect for self and others, decision-making and problem solving. Daily schedules include chores, school, meals, quiet time, free time, activities, group and individual counseling.
Recreational Activities
The youth have an opportunity to participate in a variety of recreational activities that range from team sports, area cultural events, arts and crafts to outdoor field trips to the park, canoeing, swimming, skating and ice fishing. The shelter also provides computers, books, board games, movies, foosball, pool, and basketball as on-site activities.
Group Discussions
Group discussions focus on family systems, communication skills, sharing, and giving, self-esteem building, anger management, system survival and "What is love?". These issue-oriented groups are based on current problems facing youth.
Individual Counseling
The Shelter provides youth with the opportunities to talk with staff members one-on-one and to learn alternative techniques to self de-escalation, conflict resolution, problem solving, and any other related issue(s) that may be pertinent to an individual youth.
Family Counseling
The Shelter offers crisis counseling to families who are experiencing family crisis or emergencies. When conflicts intensify, when communication breaks down or when situations become too stressful, family counseling facilitates conflict resolution. Families can receive support from Evergreen's extensive resource network and often this counseling continues after the youth leaves the shelter. This provides families with another source of support during tough times.
After Care Support
Within 30 days after a youth leaves the Shelter, a follow-up is conducted (to clients living in the area) to see how the youth is doing and to see if there are further services that the Shelter can provide. The Youth is also encouraged to stay in touch with the Shelter if they need support during difficult times.