Teen Emergency Shelter

The Teen Emergency Shelter opened in 1992 is celebrates 24 years of service, specifically to meet the needs of homeless and runaway youth, deter school dropouts, and strengthen families. The TES is an eight bed coed facility licensed to accept kids ages 10 to 17. The TES is the only facility of its kind within a 100-mile radius. Admission to the shelter is voluntary, but often the result of a referral by a school, Juvenile Probation, CPS, the Police, or one of the 40 Safe Place sites in the area. An integral part of the Teen Shelter’s program is the counseling provided to teens and their families. The purpose of the counseling is to defuse the crisis situation, identify the problems that led to the crisis, provide the family with coping skills, and encourage an environment in which the youth can mature into a reasonably content and responsible adult. Youths receive independent living and social skills training, with an emphasis on education. Aftercare counseling is provided at no cost to the family for six months. The Teen Shelter is partially funded by a Health and Human Services RHY Basic Center Grant.

The Children’s Home and Teen Shelter are committed to providing youths, a safe, supportive environment in which they can make constructive decisions about their future and their relationships with others.