The Piedmont Triad Office of Catholic Charities offers unique services to address the needs of youth on crisis. Through a federal Runaway and Homeless Youth grant, case management and supportive services are provided to youth between six and seventeen years of age in Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, and Stokes Counties who have run away from home, are homeless, or are at imminent risk of running away or becoming homeless.
Services focus on strengthening the safety, well-being, self-sufficiency, and positive connections for youth that will lead to stability. Case management services meet the basic needs of the youth and family, resolve conflicts and improve family relationships to strengthen family stability, and develop coping skills. In addition to wraparound services available within the agency such as a food pantry, infant clothing closet, financial assistance, immigration services, and teen parent support services, the program works closely with other community agencies to address the needs of the youth and family to eliminate the crisis and facilitate long-term stability.
Emergency shelter is available on a short-term basis with a volunteer Host Home family (licensed foster home). Host Home placements can also be used when a family needs a “cooling off” period that allows the youth and the family to work with program staff to resolve differences and issues. Placement in a Host Home is voluntary and requires the written consent of the parent/guardian. Placements are limited to 21 days.
Catholic Charities in Winston-Salem is the monitoring agency for the Safe Place program in Forsyth County. Safe Place is a network of “safe places” in the community designed to help youth in crisis. Safe Place sites included fire stations, public schools, YMCA’s, YWCA, Parks and Recreation Centers and neighborhood community centers, the local public transit buses, and local businesses. Safe Place sites display the Safe Place logo that identifies them as a safe location for any youth in trouble to request help. Personnel at Safe Place sites are trained on appropriate ways to respond to a youth’s request for help, and have access to the agency’s 24-hour crisis phone line to engage professional staff to assess and respond to the need.
To learn more about services for children/youth in crisis, contact us at 336-714-3218 or email us at vybethea@ccdoc.org.
