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YOUTH SHELTER Hearts with a Mission expands to Grants Pass Medford organization will provide a safe place for youths at risk By Alex Madison of the Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Alex Madison of the Daily Courier Posted Aug. 5, 2016 @ 10:26 am Updated Aug 5, 2016 at 11:29 AM By Alex Madison of the Daily Courier Posted Aug. 5, 2016 @ 10:26 am Updated Aug 5, 2016 at 11:29 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Hearts with a Mission, a Medford-based shelter for homeless and at-risk youths, plans to open a similar shelter in Grants Pass next week. Because renovations at the facility took longer than expected, the nonprofit Hearts With a Mission had to push back its opening date a few times. But now, it's on the verge of opening. The youth shelter will officially open with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at 10 a.m. Aug. 12 at the shelter, 1504 N.E. Ninth St. "It's going to be a huge blessing for the community," said Kevin Lamson, executive director for Hearts With a Mission, a faith-based organization that spearheaded development of the shelter. The organization has operated a youth shelter in Medford for six years, but wanted to bring one to Josephine County, which had 630 homeless school-age children in the Grants Pass and Three Rivers school districts during the 2014-15 school year, according to a report issued by the Oregon Department of Education. The Grants Pass shelter will provide services for at-risk and runaway youths ages 10 to 17. The 18-bed shelter will provide emergency shelter for up to 72 hours, or up to 120 days with parental or guardian consent. The story and history of each child is different, but one thing they will all have in common: They will all attend school. "One hundred percent of children at the shelter will be attending school," Lamson said. "If they aren't enrolled in school, we enroll them." The shelter will provide a stable environment for youths to resolve conflict, learn self-management skills, receive counseling and develop a plan for their lives. "Being able to have a location where they are protected and have a safe place to work on their situation is essential," Lamson said. The shelter partially replaces services once provided by the Josephine County Juvenile Justice Center at the corner of Fourth and F streets. In 2012, the center's shelter and detention facilities were shut down due to budget cuts. Since then, the county has been renting a small number of juvenile jail beds in neighboring counties to house youths who, in the past, would have be sent to the Juvenile Center's detention facility. However, the county has not been able to replace the facility for youths who need shelter for their own protection — which is the role the Hearts With a Mission facility will fill. "What a shelter environment and what Hearts With a Mission does is help kids realize there is hope of being a productive member of their community," Lamson said. The new facility was years in the making. It involves multiple community partnerships and a lot of hard work to finally open the shelter. There were many grants awarded to the project, including $150,000 from AllCare Health, a $7,500 grant from Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation, and a $100,000 grant for operating costs from the Oregon Department of Human Services. That's a good start for a shelter that will cost $700,000 a year to operate. First Community Credit Union made the purchase of the building possible with a 15-year marketing agreement with Hearts With a Mission — the credit union essentially donated the house to the nonprofit organization in return for certain marketing opportunities. Another strong supporter of the shelter is the Grants Pass School District. District Superintendent Kirk Kolb said he has seen a 60 percent increase in homeless students across the district in the past three years and knew the district needed to be involved. In March, the school board approved an agreement with Hearts With a Mission that offers in-kind services, primarily the use of district facilities. Kolb, who is also a member of the Hearts With a Mission Board, is thrilled and knows the shelter will have a positive impact on the community. "We are going to see more kids stay in school, accessing more support, and attendance and graduation in the long run will be impacted," he said. But the biggest thing, Kolb said, is that "they are healing families that are broken." For more on Hearts With a Mission, see www.heartswithamission.org . By Alex Madison of the Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Alex Madison of the Daily Courier Posted Aug. 5, 2016 @ 10:26 am Updated Aug 5, 2016 at 11:29 AM » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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