ABOUT US
Do you ever notice the teens who just seem to hang around downtown? Maybe its the kid who your kid brings home for dinner but doesn’t seem to have any where to go when its time to go home? Or, it could be a neice or nephew that sleeps on your couch a few months out of the year struggling through high school while their mom is in jail or rehab. Without a regular, fixed, nighttime residence, these teens are homeless. How will these kids break the cycle of poverty?
In the state of Nevada, there is no government funding directed towards housing for homeless teens. Homeless teens are typically between 17-21 years old. Many are former foster children or young people who should have been pulled into the child welfare system but were able to stay under the radar prior to their 18th birthday by couch surfing, travelling, and avoiding involvement with authorities. A majority of these teens are unprepared to care for themselves and do not posses the skills or behaviors necessary to make a significant change to their situation.
NYEP opened it doors to serve the needs of this homeless teen population. NYEP provides its own unique residential programming to develop older teens to self sufficiency. Our housing program is designed to replicate “real life”. Teen residents sign a lease and commit to the Community Living Program (CLP) which is intended to move them to stability and self sufficiency. Our programming includes safe housing, food, clothing, life skills training and daily interaction with trusted positive adults. Upon entrance to the CLP, teens are typically homeless, lack their high school diploma, are unemployed and lack an income, are not involved with their community in a meaningful way and do not posses the skills necessary to influence these factors.
Since opening its doors in 2007, NYEP has served over 30 teen girls with its housing program. In 2011, NYEP boasted a 100% high school graduation rate for its residents. The CLP residents essentially run a household, fully responsible for their everyday life-including securing and holding a job and/or attending school, volunteering, maintaining a budget and other adult responsibilities. The goal is to have residents enrolled in an educational program or employed within 90 days of moving in.
Our housing program, the CLP, places a gentle pressure on each resident, pushing them towards making progress each day. Our professional staff builds trusting relationships with each resident to facilitate new skills training, accountability, redirection and supportive confrontation to gently, but consistently help move them to self sufficiency. NYEP only works with willing youth who have the desire and ability to meet program expectations. NYEP facilitates an independent living curriculum that is driven by a Token Economy System that was co-created by Dr. H. Robert Quilitch, Ph.D.