Shelter & Transitional Housing
Avenues for Homeless Youth provides up to 16 homeless youth ages 16 through 20 shelter and transitional housing with supportive services at its home located at 1708 Oak Park Avenue North in Minneapolis.
Avenues for Homeless Youth is licensed as a Transitional Housing Program by the MN Department of Human Services, a Group Residential Housing provider by Hennepin County, and a Board and Lodge by the City of Minneapolis.
Youth may stay in this program as long as they are making healthy goal progress and respecting house community rules.
Avenues addresses the basic needs of youth by providing clean bedrooms and bathrooms, laundry facilities, three nutritious meals per day, clothing, personal hygiene supplies and bus tokens. Youth counselors and case managers provide direct care for the youth 24 hours per day, under the supervision of our Program Director.
Avenues focuses on creating a home environment no matter how long a young person’s stay. There are three home cooked meals every day, prepared by Avenues staff, often with assistance from the youth. We have a garden cared by youth and staff together. Youth work together to define housing, social, personal, health and educational goals and opportunities.
We work to create a safe and respectful atmosphere at Avenues. Staff members sometimes bring their dogs to work, there are weekly house meetings for all residents, and all meals are served family style. Avenues is committed to working with young people from where they are to help them gain real life “living” skills at every level—including how they engage with adults and other youth in the house.
Avenues for Homeless Youth integrates positive youth development into all activities. We help prepare youth to engage constructively in their communities and develop self assurance by addressing both their basic needs and the four core elements of positive youth development: a sense of competence, a sense of usefulness, a sense of belonging, and a sense of power.
Intensive case management, mental health therapy, nursing consultation, group counseling, employment coaching, and life skills training are designed to prepare the youth for a successful transition to independent adulthood. These supports are fully described below.
Intensive Case Management
Youth living at Avenues develop a plan to move towards independent living, with support from a case manager. The case plan identifies goals and action steps around immediate needs, employment, education, housing, mental health, physical health, independent living skills, and relationships. The case managers and program director provide ongoing support, advocacy and service coordination as needed with social services, educational and justice systems.
In addition, our case managers assist youth in obtaining vital documents, including birth certificates, social security cards, Minnesota state identification cards, school transcripts, immunization records and immigration documentation. Not having these documents is a barrier to youth success in obtaining employment, housing and education.
Learning and Practice in Independent Living Skills
Youth become successful through learning and practice in independent living skills, including cooking, budgeting, money management, job search, cleaning and much more. Avenues recently expanded its ILS programming. Youth now may participate in four afternoon classes every week on a variety of topics designed to meet the needs of the participating youth. Through this program, working with their case managers and receiving care and support from our youth counselors, Avenues’ youth learn the basics of independent living as well as healthy and appropriate behavior and positive communication.
Self-Determination and Empowerment Program
Positive youth development through self-determination and leadership opportunities is integrated into Avenues’ programs. Specific elements include:
- Self-Determination: Youth develop and pursue their own goal plans with support of their case managers. Goals are not dictated to the youth.
- Leadership and Community-Building: Youth have the opportunity to participate in weekly Community Group meetings and House meetings, where they develop plans and work out issues as a community.
- Youth Representation: Avenues youth assist in the interviewing, hiring and training of new staff and interns.
Health and Wellness Program
We strive to improve the health care of homeless youth served by Avenues through a case management approach with an emphasis on health education, on-site nursing and mental health therapy, referrals to medical and psychological services, and medication management.
Nurses are on-site twice each week to consult with youth about their physical health and medication management. We have recently added a similar on-site service focusing on mental health, so that youth may access the private consultation services of a licensed mental health counselor. We know that one of the significant barriers to achieving mental health is the current need for our youth to go to a mental health clinic. By bringing some services in house, some youth can overcome this barrier and take initial steps toward good mental health.
Regular health education forums for the youth include sexual health education and sexually-transmitted disease testing.
Avenues also works to provide healthy and nutritious meals to our youth and encourages regular physical activitiy. We have developed a wellness policy to guide this process. Click here to view our Wellness Policy.
After Care Program
Avenues for Homeless Youth works to extend its connection with youth after they exit. Many youth simply want to maintain and count on the trusting relationships they have developed with the adults at Avenues. When youth prepare to leave, their case manager conducts an exit interview to discuss exit options, resources and connections to health care, job training, and other mainstream programs, and develops an aftercare plan with the exiting youth. When possible, the case manager keeps track of the youth’s progress through regular follow-up interviews.
Youth who exit before they have completed the program are invited to come back to meet with their case manager and consider re-entry in the future. We work with these youth to develop healthy communication, coping and follow up skills. They may think they have “burned bridges” when leaving before completion, but we let them know we are still here to be supportive for them, work through conflicts and move on to positive goals and progress.
