When teenagers arrive at the LC Valley Youth Resource Center, they often beeline to the multiple fridges and pantries for a snack before settling in the living room to commiserate, play games and do homework.
The fridges are filled based on grocery requests from the teenagers who spend time there. They’re stocked in part with what some of those teens call “rich people’s food,” according to staff, because they include perishables like milk, juice, fruit and cheese that many of those youth can’t access at home.
In a survey a year ago, every single child at the center reported missing at least one meal a day, said Michelle King, the center’s co-founder.
“A lot of parents have to choose rent or food,” she said.
On Aug. 18, the center held an open house to celebrate its sixth anniversary. Over the course of those six years, it has served over 600 local teens, provided more than 24,000 meals and more than 5,000 nights in a safe bed, King said.
Volunteers say aside from caring for teens' physical needs, the center provides welcomed support in other ways, too.
“They're safe, they're among friends, they're among people who want them here,” said volunteer Dennis Riendeau.
Riendeau, who’s volunteered for more than a year, said he first started his volunteer work after learning about the children struggling with thoughts of suicide who were helped at the center.
“We're on the front line,” King said. “We have kids run to us in the middle of the night.”
The resource center provides varying levels of support for children between the ages of 12 to 17. Some children just spend the afternoon. Others, who may not have any other place to stay, have a permanent place in one of the center’s 12 beds.
King said the center serves many children who have limited support or safety at home, but may not meet the legal threshold for state involvement.
The center also works with families who may occasionally need support. Some children whose parents are in drug recovery, for instance, have a bed made for them “just in case.”
“ Part of recovery is relapse. You can't schedule it, but it is part of the reality,” King said. “When home is safe, the kiddo is home safe with their family. When that changes, the kiddo can call us, and we'll go pick 'em up because we've already done the paperwork with the parents.”
Board member Doug LaMunyan said the money, time and energy spent supporting young people means fewer end up unhoused down the line. In one case, LaMunyan said, a teen who came to the resource center just a few years ago now volunteers as a cook.
“This is an investment to try to stop the homeless population before it starts,” he said. “Helping a 38-year-old or a 45-year-old is a little bit more difficult than stopping it at 15.”
The investment doesn’t end with teens. The center is also behind “The Village" housing program for young adults aged 18-21 who have aged out of the center.
That project aims to help young adults, some of whom are still in high school, gain independence and develop savings. It requires participants to be in school, employed or both. The program also includes life skills training.
“ We're gonna teach you how to clean. We're gonna teach you how to ‘adult,’ and we're also gonna teach you how to save so when you turn 21 years old and you're headed out, you might have your first and last month's rent saved up,” LaMunyan said.
The program has already started with a limited number of individuals living in apartments throughout the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, LaMunyan said.
Eventually, The Village is planned to have a more permanent fixture of 13 tiny homes located on Main Street in Lewiston, which includes one 24/7 staff cottage. The organization is still seeking donors for that project.
