At the drop-in center, a youth who came for new shoes and socks
There are thousands of youth-based non-profit organizations throughout California, but YouthHope Foundation remains steadfast on a valiant mission. The Inland Empire organization wants to grow confidence and promote self-sufficiency for homeless, runaway, trafficked, and at-risk youth, ages 14-24.
By offering hope, trust, support, and education, the organization’s leader believes the nonprofit can continue to create opportunities for youth to grow up and eventually become healthy, self-sustaining adults.
“There are about 4.2 million homeless youth in the United States,” says Heidi Mayer, Founder and Executive Director of YouthHope Foundation. “One out of three of those youth, if they’re on the streets, within 48 hours, they’re going to be picked up for prostituting.
“Our [Inland Empire] youth might get in a fight with their parents and run away, or maybe the parents are kicking them out,” she adds. “So, there’s many reasons why youth are on the street. We point people to our website, where we have stories of these youth, which is eye-opening.”
YouthHope Foundation was established in 2009. Mayer came into the work through a twist of fate, perhaps.
Back in 2003, while chaperoning several trips to West Coast cities with an outreach program, she experienced first-hand various shelters, drop-in centers, and outreach providers. Soon enough, she realized that so many thousands of youths were abused, neglected, and/or going hungry daily.
It forced her to act.
YouthHope team preparing to feed youth on the street
“In the beginning, I had no clue what was going on with all the kids on the streets,” she says. “I was like, we need to figure this out.”
Mayer soon established Youthhope, which is based in Redlands.
“Funding is always important for us to help our youth be able to move forward in life,” she’s quick to note. “That looks different for each and every youth that comes through, but since we founded in 2009, we’ve helped more than 5,000 different youth.”
That’s a significant milestone for those in need in Inland Empire, and thanks to a recent grant from IECF through The James and Rebecca Malachowski Charitable Fund, YouthHope can distribute those funds across many channels.
Lifeskills class at YouthHope
One of them goes toward what Mayer calls the “girls’ house,” a housing program for individuals 18 and older.
“They have to go to school full-time,” Mayer notes of some of the boxes that need to be checked, and they have to work part-time. It’s a hand up, not a handout. So, what does that look like? Well, girls, have to keep the house clean, and we teach them about rent, and about responsibility.”
Overall, many of the youth the organization serves are victims of insufficient family structure, aging out of the foster care system, drug addiction, and homelessness. When YouthHope case managers surveyed its youth attendees, they discovered 88 percent were classified as low-income and 67 percent of them were homeless and living on the streets.
About 52 percent noted parents with drug or alcohol substance abuse problems.
Another program is the nonprofit’s food pantry and grocery boxes. To that end, the organization always welcomes food or donations. Several ongoing needs for nonperishable foods include: spaghetti, spaghetti sauces, cereal, individually wrapped snacks, canned goods, meats, dried beans, crackers, peanut butter and jelly, and pancake mix, to note a few.
“For our staff and volunteers, it’s one-on-one with our kids,” Mayer says. “We meet together, we build relationships, and most importantly, we build that trust.”
Learn more about YouthHope Foundation at youthhope.org.
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