Know where to go!
Seton Youth Shelters
By Antonica Welvaert, VBnightlife.com correspondent
The holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and hopefully to appreciate the blessings in our lives. But imagine you are an adolescent girl or boy who can’t go home. A child with a living situation so bad you must leave, where would you go and what would you do? Fortunately in Hampton Roads these children can turn to the Seton Youth Shelters for help. Seton Youth Shelters provides free shelter for youth ages 9-18 years as well as individual and family crisis counseling 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Recently I visited both the boys and girls shelters which are located in the King Grant area of Virginia Beach. The boy’s shelter is the former rectory of St. Nicholas Catholic Church. I walk in to find a familiar scene; a few boys gathered around the TV, playing video games. A large dining room table is set and dinner is being prepared in the kitchen. The house can support up to 10 boys at a time, two to each bedroom. The residents must attend school and are expected to complete daily chores and homework.
These two houses offer a safe haven for youth in crisis. As a Little Neck resident I unknowingly drove by these homes each day, never realizing the struggles of the children residing there. A child may come to one of the shelters because they have run away from home and are living on the streets or have been kicked out of their homes. Over 40% of these children have experienced physical or sexual abuse and/or neglect. The average stay is 20 days but can be up to 90 days. With the help of counseling most children are reunited with their families.
An additional Street Outreach Program (youth up to 21 years) provides an outreach center on the 2nd floor of “The Potter’s House, 18th & Pacific Ave on Tuesdays from 7PM until 10PM. This program also provides vans that go to at risk neighborhoods to supply youths with information, counseling and food. Youth and family counseling services are also available free to families in need, not just those with a child residing in the shelter.
Seton Youth Shelters is non-profit organization that relies on community donations to cover the majority of its costs. There are no other youth shelters of this kind in Hampton Roads. All services are provided free of charge so donations are critical to enable this organization to continue to serve these children. Visit their website to see how you can donate or attend one of the many fundraising events held throughout the year, over 92% of all donations provide direct services for youth in crisis.
24 Hour Crisis Hotline (757) 498-HELP
For more information or to donate: Seton Youth Shelters
The holidays provide a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and hopefully to appreciate the blessings in our lives. But imagine you are an adolescent girl or boy who can’t go home. A child with a living situation so bad you must leave, where would you go and what would you do? Fortunately in Hampton Roads these children can turn to the Seton Youth Shelters for help. Seton Youth Shelters provides free shelter for youth ages 9-18 years as well as individual and family crisis counseling 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Recently I visited both the boys and girls shelters which are located in the King Grant area of Virginia Beach. The boy’s shelter is the former rectory of St. Nicholas Catholic Church. I walk in to find a familiar scene; a few boys gathered around the TV, playing video games. A large dining room table is set and dinner is being prepared in the kitchen. The house can support up to 10 boys at a time, two to each bedroom. The residents must attend school and are expected to complete daily chores and homework.
These two houses offer a safe haven for youth in crisis. As a Little Neck resident I unknowingly drove by these homes each day, never realizing the struggles of the children residing there. A child may come to one of the shelters because they have run away from home and are living on the streets or have been kicked out of their homes. Over 40% of these children have experienced physical or sexual abuse and/or neglect. The average stay is 20 days but can be up to 90 days. With the help of counseling most children are reunited with their families.
An additional Street Outreach Program (youth up to 21 years) provides an outreach center on the 2nd floor of “The Potter’s House, 18th & Pacific Ave on Tuesdays from 7PM until 10PM. This program also provides vans that go to at risk neighborhoods to supply youths with information, counseling and food. Youth and family counseling services are also available free to families in need, not just those with a child residing in the shelter.
Seton Youth Shelters is non-profit organization that relies on community donations to cover the majority of its costs. There are no other youth shelters of this kind in Hampton Roads. All services are provided free of charge so donations are critical to enable this organization to continue to serve these children. Visit their website to see how you can donate or attend one of the many fundraising events held throughout the year, over 92% of all donations provide direct services for youth in crisis.
24 Hour Crisis Hotline (757) 498-HELP
For more information or to donate: Seton Youth Shelters
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