Shawn Sivly, Friends of Youth | Abbi Griffin, YMCA of Greater Seattle
Washington State Conference on Ending Homelessness | May 22, 2014

VISION
Friends of Youth envisions all youth having every opportunity to succeed.
MISSION
We deliver a broad range of services to youth and their families to improve their emotional stability and self-sufficiency.

 Friends of Youth provides services to at-risk youth and homeless young people at 20 sites in 17 cities, primarily in east King County. With 60+ years of experience and national accreditation, we provide safe places and emotional support for youth in challenging circumstances.
 In FY 2013, Friends of Youth served over 5,100 youth and their families through our three core programs.

Residential Treatment Services
• Therapeutic residential services, including foster care and emergency shelter care, to youth under age 18.
Homeless Youth Services
• Street outreach, overnight shelter, individual case management, employment and transitional housing programs for homeless youth and young adults throughout East and North King County and South Snohomish County.
Youth & Family Services
• Mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment, school-based prevention education and parenting programs in Issaquah, Snoqualmie and Riverview School
District communities.

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Shelter provides immediate need for youth in foster care, runaway, homeless and street youth under the age of 18 on the Eastside of King County.
24 hour intake phone to respond to any youth or family needing help.
12 beds of shelter and supportive services for 6 girls and
6 boys (4 beds reserved for RHY and 8 beds reserved
Youth and their families receive counseling services and community referrals to assist them in moving to reconciliation.
Structured time apart can provide space and time for youth and families needing to make a plan for a safe and stable future.

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Within 24 hours of first contact:
 Intake Assessment completed
Within 72 Hours:
 Youth meets with a Master Level Therapeutic Case Manager who completes a
Psychosocial Interview and initial Case Goal Plan which includes a domain that addresses family planning/reunification.
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A Master Level Therapeutic Case Manager contacts the youth parent/s and or legal guardian .
A family session is scheduled.
Within 5 days:
 First Family session is completed.
 Youth can stay from 21 to 30 days. Youth Haven offers 24 hour staff support, a therapeutic environment, structured schedule, rules and expectations, level system, assessments (D/A issues, mental health issues,
Independent living skills), weekly individual and family sessions.

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Family Conflict
Economic Problems
Residential Instability
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These factors define youth homelessness on the Eastside of King County. Intake information on youth entering Friends of Youth shelters parallel data on youth homelessness in King
County, the state and the nation. At our Youth Haven emergency shelters, runaway and homeless youth report the following issues at intake:
Family Conflict – 41%
Abuse – 35%
Runaway – 23%
Homelessness – 12%
Substance Abuse – 9%
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Eviction – 6%
Respite – 5%
Mental Illness – 4%
Legal Issues – 2%

 Many young people leave home to escape abusive family situations. According to the UWKC Community
Assessment, 17 % to 35% of homeless youth have suffered physical or sexual abuse. Other youth leave home due to parental neglect, where parents under
“extreme stress” cannot continue to care for their child or assume that their teen/s are old enough to care for themselves” outside the home.
 Other family problems that lead to a youth being displaced from their home: youth “come out” or identify as LGBTQ, drugs/alcohol, mental health/emotional issues, economic issues, conflicting personalities, etc.

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Increased sense of safety
 Includes goals in areas of the youth’s life surrounding safe and stable housing and immediate, basic needs, including immediate medical needs.
Increased sense of well-being
 Includes goals in the areas of long-term medical/health needs, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, and development of coping skills and interpersonal skills.
Increased self-sufficiency
 Includes educational and vocational goals and independent living skills development goals.
Increased number of permanent connections with caring adults
 Includes goals for family counseling and reunification , if appropriate; goals for aftercare treatment with community mental health and substance abuse treatment providers; discharge placement goals for safe and stable housing following shelter exit.

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Clear, honest, and respectful communication with families, which helps set a foundation for building trust.
Commitment to family-centered practice and it’s underlying philosophy and values.
Sufficient frequency and length of contact with families, their identified formal and informal supports.
A strength-based approach that recognizes and reinforces families capabilities and not just their needs or problems.
Shared decision-making and participatory planning which result in mutually agreed-upon goals and plans reflecting both the TCM training and the family’s knowledge of their own situation.
Broad-based involvements by both parents, extended family members, informal networks and community supports (Wrap Around Services).
Individualized service plans that respond to needs of youth and parent/s
Concrete services that meet immediate needs for food, housing, child care, transportation, and other costs, and help communicate to families a strong desire to help.
Praise and Recognition of parents who are making life changes that result in safe and permanent living situations for their youth

 Identify the family unit as the focus attention. Focus on the needs and welfare of children and youth within the context of their families and communities.
 Assist the family to strengthen their ability to function together effectively.
 Provide individualized, culturally responsive, flexible, and relevant services.
 Link family and youth with comprehensive, diverse, and community-based networks of supports and services.

 Strengths-Based Perspective: Provide a strengths-based perspective in their handling the day-to-day intensive support of our youth. The strengths perspective is based on the belief that individuals possess abilities and inner resources that allow them to cope effectively with life’s challenges.
 Dialectical Behavior Therapy: The primary goal of DBT is to help youth develop skills (their interpersonal skills to improve their relationships with adults and peers, learn to adapt to new situations, develop coping skills, and increase their capacity to regulate their internal emotions).

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Pay Attention
Be less impulsive
Focus
Be flexible
Wise Mind (balancing the rational mind over emotional mind)
What Skills- What I need to do to be mindful (observe, describe, and Participate)
How Skills- Be non-judgmental (Focus on the facts), Be mindful, Effective (focus on what works instead of what doesn’t work).

 Cope with pain and crisis
 Skillfully distract yourself
 Accept Reality
 ACCEPTS (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons,
Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts, Sensations
 Radical Acceptance

 How to make a request
 DEARMAN (Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce,
Mindful, Appear Confident, Negotiate)
 Building Relationships
 People Skills
 GIVE (Gentle, Interested, Validate, Easy manner)
 Building Self Respect
 FAST (Fair, No apologies, Stick to Values, Truthful
 Understanding the feelings of others

 Accepting Emotions
 Changing emotions
 Observing and Describing Emotions
 People Skills
 Opposite Action
 Please (Physical, Eating habits, Avoid mood-altering drug/alcohol, Sleep, Exercise)

 5 easy steps in solving a problem
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Describing the problem
Brain Storm
Pros and Cons
Evaluate the Results
Make a choice and take action
 4 options for dealing with any problem

 17 RHY served (October 2013-April 2014).
 11 out of 17 families engaged in family therapy.
 16 out of 17 youth exited to safe and stable housing
(11 of those youth returned to family).
 16 out of 17 youth accomplished 50% of their goals on their case goal plan.
 8 out of 11 youth reported that their circumstances. improved within the home. Aftercare was continued with these 8 families.

Resident of New Ground Bothell, Transitional Housing for Homeless Moms 18-21 and their babies.
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On behalf of the homeless and at risk young people who rely on our housing, counseling, employment, shelter, and case management services, thank you!

ABBI GRIFFIN
SEAT TLE, WA

Family Services and Mental Health
◦ Strengthen health and safety of youth, families and communities
◦ Evidence-based practice
◦ Support of natural networks and community partners
◦ Provide strengths-based, solutions-focused, culturally competent, individualized crisis support, mental health, permanency services, and training that is costumerdriven
◦ Advocates for child healthcare, mental health, and child welfare systems change

◦ Youth and Young Adults aging out of foster care and homeless youth up to age 25
◦ Staff support and assistance for education, employment, family connections, housing, financial assistance and life skills
◦ Drop-In center resources
◦ LFI
◦ Affordable Healthcare
◦ IDA
◦ Youth Housing Connection

What we do
How we do it
Where we do it

Former and current foster youth
Ages 11-25
Limited to youth and young adults without any supportive adult connections (not counting social service professionals)

Family commitment/consistency
Engagement with Department restrictions
Adoption Records
DSHS records/history

Youth engagement/enthusiasm
Statistics
Partnerships
◦ Casey Family Programs
◦ United Way of King County
◦ Street Youth Ministries
◦ Northwest Adoption Exchange
◦ DSHS
◦ Seneca Center

Seneca Center Search
DSHS Relative Search Unit
Public Resources
◦ White pages
◦ King County Jail
◦ Vital Records
Social Media
◦ Facebook
◦ Linked In
◦ Pipl.com

◦ Coffee shops
◦ Restaurants
◦ Libraries
◦ Schools
◦ 2100 Building

Mobility Mapping: http://www.pacwcbt.pitt.edu/curriculum/207%20Family%20Finding/Day%201_2/TrnrRsrc s/Res04_MbltyMppng_FlwDgrms.pdf
Connectedness Map: http://www.pacwcbt.pitt.edu/curriculum/207%20Family%20Finding/Day%201_2/Hndts/H
O16_OthrFmlyFndngTls.pdf
Casey Family Programs-Austin, TX Office: http://www.casey.org/Locations/Texas/Austin/
YMCA Webpage: http://www.seattleymca.org/Locations/FSMH/Pages/Home.aspx
United Way of King County: http://www.uwkc.org/
NIPFC: http://www.familyfinding.org/

Shawn Sivly, Friends of Youth shawn@friendsofyouth.org
Abbi Griffin, YMCA of Greater Seattle abbigriffin@seattleymca.org