A shelter in Orange County that works with runaway, homeless, abused, and at-risk youths from ages 11-17 is in the midst of a fundraising campaign.
Nancy Galeana, the co-director of the Waymakers Huntington Beach Youth Shelter, told KNX News’ Margaret Carrero that the services at the shelter are free of charge to the families, and youth can stay for up to three weeks.
“We know that many families are struggling,” Galeana said. “So funding is definitely something that we're always looking for because we want to continue to provide these services for the youth and their families.”
With the increased cost of living, she said the shelter is spending about $1 million a year to fund eight out of its 12 beds, which are reserved for the runaway population.
“We have staff on site 24/7, and we do provide three meals a day. We provide an educational component. All of that, of course, costs money,” Galeana said.
Youths or parents can call the shelter at any time to request information about their services. They also work with law enforcement and schools.
Galeana said they do an interview over the phone to ensure the shelter is the right place for someone wanting services – youth programs are voluntary in the state of California, so they make sure the individual wants to participate in their program.
“When they come in with us, they do have a schedule that they follow,” Galeana said. “It’s more of a schedule that they have to follow throughout the day. But also, the parents' participation is very fundamental as well.”
As part of the program, the youth can’t have their phones on them. They wake up at 7 a.m. to a day filled with therapeutic activities, meals, family therapy, and alone time.
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Galeana said this is the first time many of the families they work with have experienced family therapy. It’s beneficial within family units to learn to communicate effectively and understand each others’ perspective, she noted.
Ultimately, the shelter aims to achieve four goals with everyone who goes through its program. Those goals are to reunite the families and help them become a strong unit, assist the youth from being involved in the juvenile justice system, and prevent homelessness and school dropouts.
The shelter also helps with any mental health issues.
“The pandemic definitely increased the number of mental health issues in the community. Social isolation brought about a lot of issues within the youth,” Galeana said. “Social media, it’s very prominent for kids to be engaging in certain risky behaviors that many times, it might be difficult for parents to navigate. So we definitely assist with those issues as well.”
The nonprofit is now celebrating its 18th year anniversary. In it's 18 years, the nonprofit has helped prevent homelessness for more than 2,200 Orange County youth.
The Waymakers Huntington Beach Youth Shelter does not receive state funding, and although it does get federal funding, thanks to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act , it's not enough for the nonprofit to keep up with its expenses.
“We not only look for community donations, but we also seek out grants, either from corporations or foundations. But right now, it's difficult times and everyone is feeling that stretch due to the crisis going on right now. So it’s very difficult to secure that funding,” Galeana said.
They have buckets with a QR code at different businesses in Huntington Beach through July 18 where people can donate to their “Change for Change” campaign.
Any donations can be designated to the Huntington Beach Youth Shelter through their website at waymakersoc.org .
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