Updates from Looking Glass
Thanks to a couple of amazing grant gifts from OnPoint Credit Union, the New Roads homeless youth drop-in center was able to purchase two new commercial-grade washer and dryers for the clothing closet area. Laundry services are so crucial to the unhoused youth served at New Roads - most youth come in only with the clothes on their backs and all donated clothing needs to be washed before clients can use it.
At Looking Glass HYS, summer time is busy – the heat keeps our day use and overnight shelters busy with youth trying to keep cool and utilize resources. Station 7 is undergoing renovations to expand capacity - but we need more funding! New Roads is doing laundry - but we hope to do more! And important annual clothing drives are right around the corner - Braugust - Shoetember - Socktoberfest!
When Looking Glass Housing program managers place youth in apartments around town (providing rent as well as ongoing case management), often times the youth does not have much to help setup their new dwelling. Basic items like pots and pans or dish towels or a bath mat help make a house a home. And this December SELCO helped ensure that at least the next 20 youth that are housed will have a nice kit of items to get them started.
Members from local SELCO Credit Union branches shopped for and then organized and dropped off 20 amazing “move-out kits” for these transitional living youth to utilize. Looking Glass staff members were thrilled with the donation.
The 6th annual “Socktoberfest” sock donation drive for homeless youth was again a resounding success bringing in thousands of pairs of (mostly new) socks. The New Roads outreach team hands out socks on a daily basis to unhoused youth they encounter. Socks go fast at New Roads and this annual sock drive aims to sustain us year-round (but we usually run out by summer time).
Thank you to all of our amazing donation location partners and to the generous community who donated so many wonderful socks!
Students from a Community Projects class at Looking Glass’ Riverfront School & Career Center created a fundraiser to support the needs of pets of unhoused youth who access services at Looking Glass homeless youth programs. The students raised almost $300 including donations of in-kind pet supplies. Wags! Dog Emporium matched every dollar raised and donated additional items for a total value of almost $900 in pet supplies gathered and donated to Looking Glass homeless youth programs for their pets.
The Trafficking Prevention Specialist and Survivor Advocate plays a crucial role in providing trafficked youth with a safe space and assistance with extricating themselves from a dangerous situation. For the safety of the employee in this unique role, we are not identifying her by name. For the importance of the education of this community, we are sharing some of her experiences.
Trafficking of youth comes in many forms, but most often comes down to a vulnerable young person trading favors or services in exchange for housing, food, or other basis needs. Or, in some cases these services are traded for drugs or alcohol, which, in turn help these victims endure the assault or abuse at the hands of those holding power over them.
Looking Glass New Roads Kitchen Remodel is underway and we need YOUR help with temporary outdoor kitchen services. Beginning in May the New Roads day program for homeless youth services will begin construction on the current kitchen to enable cooking of full meals. To-date, the New Roads staff have been without adequate ventilation and equipment to provide a full kitchen and thus meals have been quite challenging to provide 3 times per day to homeless youth.
The 5th annual “Socktoberfest” sock donation drive that runs the month of October each year, was a smashing success this year thanks to the generosity of community members and drive corporate sponsors. More than 20,000 pairs of socks came through, more than double the prior year’s haul! Socks are a crucial necessity for unhoused individuals and the New Roads staff often runs out of socks to hand out during the year so this annual drive has become very important.
Finding affordable, safe, quality housing is a challenge for a lot of people in Eugene and broader Lane County, but especially so for youth with limited rental history and sometimes criminal history. So it is particularly special to Looking Glass when a local community member agrees to long-term rental partnerships. Austin Folnagy is the most recent example of a willing and supportive landlord who enthusiastically embraces the opportunity to rent an entire complex to Looking Glass youth.
“It’s a way to give back, for sure,” Folnagy explained. “It’s a business, for sure, but by working with Looking Glass in this way, it’s a way to do good in our community too.”
