This ruling is deeply painful. For trans and nonbinary youth, their families, and those striving to create a more inclusive and supportive world, it represents a step backward—and a stark reminder of the work still ahead.

Here in Vermont, we remain committed to protecting the rights and dignity of all young people. Gender-affirming care for minors continues to be legal and accessible in our state. Vermont House Bill 89 explicitly ensures that this care cannot be restricted or banned—something that sadly is not true in all states, including our neighbor New Hampshire.

Medical experts widely agree: gender-affirming care is not controversial—it’s essential. It supports mental health, reduces risk, and saves lives. We’ll continue to say that loudly and clearly, no matter what the courts decide.

At Spectrum Youth & Family Services, we stand unequivocally with trans youth. We believe every young person deserves access to the care and support they need to live as their authentic selves. That commitment hasn’t changed, and it never will. We will continue to be a safe, affirming space for all youth—especially those targeted by discriminatory legislation or policies.

Thank you for standing with us. We are stronger together.

The post Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on US vs. Skrmetti appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“In early March, Vermont began to shut down due to the spread of the Coronavirus. The end of the school year was traumatic for our youth,” says Marelyn Segura of Spectrum’s Multicultural Youth Program. “Their families were stressed out and afraid…. and it was up to the children who speak some English to explain to their parents what was going on.”

“Many New Americans are coming from war zones and other dangerous situations and when they arrived here, they were hit with a pandemic in a language that they don’t know.” Marelyn says, “It has been very complicated and difficult for them—they had to stay inside all the time and they have no idea why.”

As Vermont began to shut down, Alison Segar, a social worker in Spectrum/Howard Center’s JOBS program, quickly realized many people in non-English speaking communities would need access to COVID-19 information in their native language. She partnered with Mohamed Jafar, who speaks Somali, to create the first in a series of over 400 videos about the pandemic.

Since that initial video, Alison and Mohamed have collaborated with 7 local organizations to create and disperse informational videos of trusted community leaders speaking about the pandemic in different languages: Spectrum’s Multicultural Youth Program staff, Howard Center, Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV), U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Vermont (USCRI), the University of Vermont Medical Center, the Vermont Health Department and the Community Economic Development Office (CEDO) in Burlington.

The group is now known as the Vermont Multilingual Coronavirus Communication Task Force and the videos have covered many topics including specifics about the virus, staying safe, face mask protocols, testing and now vaccination information. Initially each video was released in more than a dozen language and now the ten core languages spoken in Chittenden County including Spanish, Swahili, Somali, Nepali and Vietnamese are produced. The videos have been released on YouTube with over 22,500 views and 166 channel subscribers, and the videos are shared via the member organizations and case managers. Sound files of the videos made are sent out to the Burlington and Winooski schools as well as BHA and are shared through their robo-call system.

Marelyn says that one youth told her that “her mother does not speak English and was completely confused why everyone was using masks. This young person was able to explain what the pandemic was through the videos—including the procedural videos about how and why to wear a mask when going outside.”

Not only have the videos been helpful to our youth and their families, but the Task Force learned how to communicate quickly with non-English speaking communities during crisis. As Alison points out, “Before this pandemic, there was an ongoing communication gap when it came to community or statewide issues between English-speaking and non-English speaking communities in Vermont. It is an issue of equity and now we’ve learned a lot about how to reach out effectively—I hope the work that we have done and the connections that were made will continue.”

The post Translating in a Crisis appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“The vast majority of the youth that we serve are “transition-aged,” people who are considered adults by the law but whose challenges are unique to their age range. While “transition-aged” is defined as youth between the ages of 16-24, I’d like to speak today about the core of that range, people aged 18-22.

Most of these young people live at the intersection of a range of marginalized identities: they are teenagers, they are experiencing homelessness, they have mental health and substance abuse problems. They are disproportionately people of color or those who identify as LGBTQ+. They might be disabled or scraping by on benefits.

In our day-to-day work we see first-hand how marginalized these youth feel in their community: they aren’t considered for jobs they’re qualified for, they’re seen as a nuisance in public, they’re targeted by police as “troublemakers,” and they’re questioned over their presumed lack of motivation to “better themselves.” It’s our job to help them navigate these systems and create safe spaces for them to grow outside the glare of the public eye.

In my experience and that of my colleagues, this dynamic stands out in particular when transition-aged youth seek care in crisis situations. Specifically, I’d like to speak to some of my experiences with these youth when they’ve tried to access intensive mental health services in our community.

Last year I accompanied a young transgender woman to the hospital. We often offer this kind of advocacy and support role for folks in severe crises. For weeks this youth had been coming to our Drop-In Center reporting increasingly frequent episodes of paranoia and psychosis, accompanied by intensifying thoughts of suicide. As her crisis deepened, we made as many referrals as we could to mental health supports like counseling, medical care, advocates for survivors.

Nothing took. And then she came to Drop-In with obvious physical marks of the last night’s suicide attempt, and an insistence that it was a matter of time before she followed through with her suicide. Yes, she had a plan. Yes, we were both terrified.

At the hospital she was told in plain language that her reported mental health symptoms could not be true given the way she presented in that moment. She was told that her recent attempt must not have been particularly serious, and that her plan to kill herself did not merit further medical attention. She was discharged after about an hour with no discernable plan of care or follow-up.

I don’t doubt that this kind of invalidation added a new layer of trauma to her experience, and that she might be less likely to seek medical care when in a future crisis because of it. Despite her traumas, she saved herself. Somehow – amazingly – she traveled by herself to a different state, got herself admitted into an inpatient facility at a hospital, and stayed there for over a month. She was ultimately discharged and admitted into a stabilization clinic in Vermont before moving into a residential mental health program. 

And I will offer another brief anecdote. About when a 19-year-old, also transgender, reported to us that she was abducted for days and repeatedly assaulted before running away and making it back to the Drop-In Center. She went to the hospital, where she was seen by intake staff before getting overwhelmed and returning to Drop-In. When I went back to the hospital to support and advocate for her, she was scolded, told that she’d wasted hospital staff’s time by leaving, and that she’d have to wait longer because she left. It felt like a punishment. The forensic nurse who examined her was kind, but the damage was already done at the admission-level. She angrily refused most services and said that, if there were a next time, she’d skip the hospital altogether.

It’s really important to me that everyone here understands: I’m telling these stories not to condemn the hospital, any local clinicians, or any mental health providers who are doing an incredibly difficult job with limited resources, especially now. I understand that they have to make seemingly impossible choices, and I’m grateful for the effective care they’ve given to other Spectrum clients. I tell these stories only to show what my colleagues and I are seeing on the ground: transition-aged youth, particularly the most vulnerable, are met with skepticism and eye-rolls when they seek help in a crisis.

So, why is that?

Why are the transition-aged youth that we serve, who are among the most vulnerable folks in our society, treated like the lowest priorities in their times of need? In my opinion, the reasons that our youth aren’t taken seriously in these situations are the exact same reasons that they should be taken most seriously.  

It isn’t a secret that the trauma of youth homelessness takes a toll on people’s mental health. According to a 2019 study published by researchers at the University of Southern California, 12 percent of adolescents in the United States have considered suicide, while 4 percent have attempted suicide. For youth experiencing homelessness, the study shows that 46 percent of those surveyed had attempted suicide, and that 78 percent of those who had previously attempted would continue to make attempts.

That is for youth homelessness. What happens when you add more layers of marginalization? For example, UCLA cites the 2015 Transgender Study as reporting that more than 80 percent of transgender people have seriously considered suicide in their lifetimes, and that over 40 percent make at least one attempt. These rates are so much higher than those of the general population, it’s hard to fathom.

And to put these two populations together, again consider that youth homelessness disproportionately affects people who identify as LGBTQ+, as well as people of color. We at Spectrum see these trends on the ground.

What I’m getting at is – as far as I’ve seen in this work – the more traumatized you are, the more marginalized you are, the more likely you are to be turned away in your hour of need. And I think that the opposite should be true.

So how do we start to address this trend?

To start, I think we should go back to the basics. The practice of Trauma-Informed Care is widely embraced as a baseline tool to help client-facing staff approach people in crisis with knowledge and compassion.

It’s rooted in a classic maxim in social work: do no harm. To quote from an article on the practice published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also known as SAMHSA: “Trauma-Informed Care begins with the first contact a person has with an agency; it requires all staff members (e.g., receptionists, intake personnel, direct care staff, supervisors, administrators, peer supports, board members) to recognize that the individual’s experience of trauma can greatly influence his or her receptivity to and engagement with services, interactions with staff and clients, and responsiveness to program guidelines, practices, and interventions. Trauma-Informed Care includes program policies, procedures, and practices to protect the vulnerabilities of those who have experienced trauma and those who provide trauma-related services.” 

Put simply, it’s a good way of treating people with dignity and understanding when they’re at their worst. So no doubt, Trauma-Informed Care is a really helpful tool to meet the needs of the most vulnerable. But maybe we need other tools, too. 

We at Spectrum have recently been told two different things: that there are more than enough beds in the state for psychiatric patients of all ages, and then that there are not.  We’re not sure who to believe. But no matter who’s right, we do know that young people in psychiatric distress are turned away at alarming rates.

So what’s happening? What’s the disconnect? If the capacity does exist, why and how is the criteria for admission failing transition-aged youth? And whether the question is capacity or criteria, I think that we should start a conversation about diverting resources toward creating clinical programs that cater specifically to the needs of transition-aged youth. 

Why specifically, transition-aged youth?

For one, beyond the trends I’ve just mentioned, countless studies have confirmed that the human brain continues to develop and mature for years into true adulthood. It’s uniquely sensitive and fragile in this growth period.

It’s also widely accepted that youth trauma and homelessness can lead to long-term mental health problems and chronic homelessness in adulthood. Instead of accepting that as an inevitability, what if we set aside resources to meet the needs of this unique population, one whose future has proven to have a profound effect on all of our social and economic futures?

If we can take lessons from this pandemic – like diverting resources upstream, like focusing on prevention and mitigation before the current becomes chronic – then maybe we can start to make lasting change.

Let’s have a conversation.“

The post Are Vermont’s Institutions Failing Transition-Aged Youth? appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

The Board of Directors at Spectrum Youth and Family Services have approved a plan to open a Drop-In Center for teens and young adults in downtown St. Albans in the coming months. The Center will be open weekdays from 10am – 6pm, offering free lunch and dinner, showers, laundry,  mentoring, coaching, and activities to youth ages 14-22.  A location is to be determined.

“We know from our decades of work in Burlington that with sustained support, youth who are struggling can get their lives on track.” said Mark Redmond, Executive Director at Spectrum. “We are very pleased to be able to extend our services to St. Albans. Our goal is to provide a safe space where young people find that support while also being connected to other services in the community, such as tutoring from Vermont Adult Learning and case management from Northwest Counseling and Support Services.” 

Spectrum is opening the Drop-In Center at the urging of St. Albans community leaders and its own staff who have had a presence in the county serving youth in state custody in St. Albans. Without a youth center or similar programs in the community, there is a need for a safe, warm and consistent physical place where youth can go to receive a hot meal, help with homework, assistance finding a job, and a friendly ear.

“It is such great news to hear that Spectrum will be opening up a drop-in center here in St. Albans!” said Dr. Kevin Dirth, superintendent of Maple Run Unified School District. “This has been a long time coming.  I look forward to Maple Run’s collaboration with them to expand the support of our children in this community.”

Spectrum has worked with multiple community partners to realize this vision including: the City of St. Albans, Northwest Counseling and Support Services, Northwestern Medical Center, Samaritan House, Martha’s Kitchen, Ben and Jerry’s, Mylan Technologies, Mill River Brewery, and Groennfell Meadery.

The Spectrum Board of Directors made a multi-year commitment to maintain the Drop-In Center, with future years dependent on need and funding. Seed funding for the first year of operation was provided by two anonymous donors, Mylan Technologies, Mike Lane and Cat Carvelli, and many individual donations.  Spectrum will hold a Sleep Out in St. Albans to support the program, and donations are also being accepted at https://donate.spectrumvt.org/stalbans.

The post Spectrum Youth & Family Services to Expand to St. Albans appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Drop-In Center

Drop-In is continuing to stay open through our to-go food program, we serve youth 14 to 25, Monday through Friday, from 12 to 1 pm and from 5 to 6 pm at our temporary location 191 Bank St. Burlington, VT.

Drop-in Staff are also continuing to work with our youth by: helping to staff our housing programs, providing virtual Drop-In hours that allow youth to access services and resources, and providing COVID-19 related emergency support to the food shelf as well as other community resources.

Because we are only providing to-go food at this time, and also in the spirit of social distancing, we are limiting our donation needs to those listed below:

• From restaurants/businesses: plastic ware, cleaning supplies, gloves, masks, etc., food items including bulk and ready to eat foods.
• From individuals who want to donate a meal: groceries and grocery gift cards or restaurant delivery are welcome, please no pre-made meals at this time.

Please call us first to let us know what you would like to donate at 802-777-3341. Thank you for donating to Spectrum Youth and Family Services!”

Contact us at (802) 864-7423 x312 or click here for other community food resources.

Supportive Housing

The Landing and Transitional Housing Programs are currently open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week so all of the youth in these programs can “shelter in place.”

We are taking several precautions to minimize the risk, such as sanitizing surfaces and washing hands several times a day, limiting access to certain areas, and screening clients and staff for illness.

Governor Scott has asked that we close the Warming Shelter at this time. If you or someone you know is in need of temporary shelter, please call us at (802) 864-7423 x325.

Riverstone Counseling

Our counselors are holding sessions with clients through the use of telemedicine. Interested in making an appointment? Call us at (802) 864-7423 x310.

Detail Works

Detail Works will be closed until further notice. We sincerely appreciate your patronage and support. To be notified when we reopen please email us athello@detailworksvt.com and we will contact you as soon as we reopen. In the meantime, you can purchase gift cards here. We are committed to paying our youth staff for the foreseeable future.

Skills Programs

Our Skills Programs are still open and our staff are meeting with their clients virtually at this time. For more information on the skills programs that we offer or to contact a specific program, click here.

Mentoring

We’ve asked all of our mentors to suspend physical contact with their mentees at this time. However, here are some tips for staying in contact in other ways in the meantime. Learn more about our Mentoring Program here.

How You Can Help

Due to COVID-19, we are in need of:

• hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes/spray, etc
• pre-packaged food donations (ex. Go-gurt, string cheese, fruit cups, chips, snacks, etc)
• gift cards to local grocery stores for youth and their families that are in need
• donations to keep our doors open and to cover additional expenses like hazard pay for staff working in our residences
• join the Spectrum Sleep Out in solidarity with all of our youth at Spectrum

Spectrum’s Sleep Out

• Spectrum’s largest fundraiser, the Spectrum Sleep Out, will now be a virtual event to be held on the same date, March 26. This event raises a critical $300,000 for our programs and services. We are asking participants to sleep out at their own locations and share their experiences with us via photo and video on social media and other platforms.
• We are asking our Student Sleep Outs to also move to a virtual format and to continue fundraising efforts if possible.
• The St. Albans Sleep Out, which was created to support the opening of a Drop-In Center or shelter in St. Albans, has been postponed from April 16 to November of this year.

The post Our Response to COVID-19 appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“This supports basic rights that are due to every American citizen and there is nothing in here that is radical or outlandish,” said Mark in his testimony.

As the largest provider of services to homeless youth in the State, we hope that this time this committee votes in favor of H.492 and that it moves to the floor of the House for a vote. Every human being should be allowed their basic human rights and to go about their communities without discrimination, regardless of their housing status.

Learn more about the Bill of Rights by watching this coverage by NBC5.

The proposed Homeless Bill of Rights states:

A person’s rights, privileges, or access to public services may not be denied or abridged solely because they are without housing or because of their housing status. Such a person shall be granted the same rights and privileges as any other resident of this State.

A person without housing will have the right:

• to use and move freely in public spaces, including public sidewalks, parks, transportation, and buildings, in the same manner as any other person and without discrimination on the basis of their housing status.
• to receive equal treatment by all state and municipal agencies without discrimination on the basis of housing status or homelessness.
• to not face discrimination while seeking or maintaining employment, due to their lack of permanent mailing address or their mailing address being that of a shelter or social service provider.
• to access emergency medical care free from discrimination based on their housing status or homelessness.
• to vote, register to vote, and receive documentation necessary to prove identity for voting, without discrimination due to his or her housing or homelessness.
• to confidentiality of personal records and information in accordance with all limitations on disclosure established by State and federal law, including the Federal Homeless Management Information Systems, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Federal Violence 10 Against Women Act. In particular, victims of domestic and sexual violence 11 and stalking who are homeless have the right to safety and confidentiality. No identifying information pertaining to such victims shall be released without a written release unless the disclosure of the information is required by State or federal law or a court order.
• to a reasonable expectation of privacy in his or her personal property.
• to immediate and continued enrollment of his or her school-age children based on the best interests of the child as provided for in 16 V.S.A. § 1075(e) and the McKinney-Vento Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 11431–11435.

No person shall be subject to civil or criminal sanctions for soliciting, sharing, accepting, or offering food, water, money, or other donations in public places.

No law shall target persons without housing or the harmless activities associated with homelessness, or the provision of supports or services to 6 persons without housing or perceived to be without housing in traditional public fora.

A person aggrieved by a violation of this section may bring an action in Superior Court for appropriate relief, including injunctive relief and actual damages sustained as a result of the violation, costs, and reasonable attorney’s fees.

The post A Proposed Homeless Bill of Rights appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

We currently have two youth coordinators that work with youth in St. Albans and see this need on a daily basis.

Seven years ago, the Vermont Department for Children and Families asked Spectrum to expand its work to Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, helping 14- to 23-year-old youth in state custody prepare for independent living. This includes assisting them with graduating from high school, moving on to college or a trade school, finding an apartment, driving lessons, and everything else needed for adulthood. Our office for this program is located in St. Albans.

As we know from our work, youth who are aging out of foster care, or addicted to substances, or grew up in households with parents who are addicted are at a much greater risk of becoming homeless.

Seven years ago, we expanded our work to Franklin and Grand Isle Counties by having two youth coordinators based in St. Albans to support youth ages 14- to 23 in state custody.

Here are some statistics on youth or their families who are at-risk of homelessness in Franklin County:

• One in every 69 children is in state custody (the second-highest in the state), compared to 1 in 105 for the whole state and 1 in 152 for Chittenden County.
• Franklin County has one of the highest rates of medically assisted treatment for opiate addiction—about 50% higher than the state rate.
• Franklin County in 2017 had the third-highest rate of drug-related fatalities in the state.
• 12.8% of Vermont babies born with Neonatal Alcohol Syndrome in 2015 were attributed to Franklin County, even though its population is only 7.8% of the state population.

We’ve met with many community leaders and providers in the St. Albans area. Each conveyed concerns about the youth challenges and needs in their community.

• The local shelter usually has a waiting list and is designed for older adults and families, it is not tailored to the needs of teenagers and young adults.
• Without a Boys & Girls Club or a YMCA in St. Albans, there is a need for a physical place where youth can go to receive basic needs such as a hot meal, clothing, help with their homework, and assistance finding a job.

One of the reasons Spectrum has selected St. Albans to expand to is that there are some very important resources in place, such as:

• the Northwest Counseling and Support Services,
• Vermont Adult Learning,
• the Community College of Vermont (who has been there for decades and is now expanding downtown!),
• the Notch, which is the federally qualified health care center,
• Howard Center, which provides addiction treatment and care,
• the Northwest Medical Center, which is one of the most highly respected and well-led medical centers in Vermont, plus
• there is so much economic development occurring in St. Albans, with new restaurants, a hotel, and a renovated city hall.

So we are proposing an expansion of Spectrum services in Franklin County!

We’d like to begin expanding our St. Albans presence with a Drop-In Center and/or youth Homeless Shelter (still to be determined).

This presence will give us a more accurate sense of what type of more permanent shelter, residence, or Drop-In Center might be needed. Once this is assessed, we may move on to provide a warming shelter or short- or long-term housing in subsequent years.

Want to learn more about how you can help?

• Please donate to the St. Albans project here.
• Contact Sarah Woodard, Director of Development, at swoodard@spectrumvt.org or (802) 864-7423 x350.

The post We are Hoping to Expand! appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

“I can honestly say that I don’t know where I would be now if it weren’t for Spectrum welcoming me with open arms when no one else would.”

Spectrum youth are some of the most resilient people we’ve ever met. Whether they’re transitioning to adulthood after living in foster care, or pushing to get through school in a foreign language, or trying to overcome a childhood of trauma, they are determined to build a life for themselves.

What they need is someone to help them figure out what their goals are, to offer a friendly ear no matter what, and to let them dream big. And all of that was made possible this year because of our incredible community of donors, volunteers, and mentors. Below is an overview of what was accomplished because of your support. Thank you from all of our hearts, to yours. You can find a PDF version of the annual report here.

Basic Needs & Stable Homes

The Drop-In Center and Supported Housing programs were open for teenagers and young adults who needed a hot meal, clean clothes, a shower, or a place to sleep.

What’s new: A steady stream of federal and state funding cuts in recent years means that more and more, we rely on the generosity of people like you to keep our doors open. In 2018, 33% of the funding for our housing programs came from you, our donors. This year, that percentage rose to 48%, and in 2020, we expect it to be 59%. Thanks to you, we know we’ll be here for the next youth who needs help.

From the left: The Winter Warming Shelter. A group meeting at the Landing (short-term housing). A youth room at the Landing.

260 youth served at the Drop-In Center

33 youth served at the Winter Warming Shelter

50 youth served at the Landing (short-term transitional housing)

37 youth served through the Transitional Housing Program

Life & Survival Skills

This year, teenagers and young adults learned how to find and keep a job, get into and pay for school, budget for an apartment, and other critical life skills.

What’s new: Spectrum’s Multicultural Youth Program set up a Help Desk in the libraries of Burlington and Winooski High Schools to help multicultural youth with anything from tutoring, to driver’s ed, to preparing for life after high school. The Help Desks were staffed with assistance from our partners: the U.S. Committee on Refugees and Immigrants and Burlington’s Community Economic Development Office.

From the left: Youth staff at Detail Works, working with head detailer, Jasmine Wood. Yuol Herjok Yuol, Multicultural Youth Program outreach coordinator, speaking with senior Halima Said at Winooski High School’s Help Desk.

160 youth served through the Youth Development Program

112 youth served through Jump on Board for Success

283 youth served through the Multicultural Youth Program

14 youth served through Detail Works

Prevention & Intervention

Every day, teenagers and young adults are working through substance use and mental
health challenges with our therapists, befriending positive adult role models in our mentoring program, and practicing self-care through the health clinic housed in our building.

Spectrum mentors and mentees at ECHO Lake & Aquarium Center’s Community Science Night.

What’s new: In January 2019, the Vermont Department of Children and Families asked us to launch a new program called Compass, which works with youth who are at risk of going into foster care, becoming involved with the justice system, or otherwise facing a crisis. We offer intensive support to both the youth and the family to help them get their lives back on track.

319 youth served through Riverstone Counseling

106 youth served through Mentoring

794 youth served through the Pearl Street Youth Clinic

Thanks to all of the donors, volunteers and mentors that have supported Spectrum youth. It is because of you that they thrive. As one youth recently said,

“I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful for your donation. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to have a good life, a better life that I want.”

The post A year of “you-are-not-alone” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Ben, pictured left, with Spectrum’s executive director Mark Redmond on the day of Ben’s college graduation.

The following is a speech presented by Ben, a former client of Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, I came from a low-income household originally comprised of 4 people including myself and three others. My mother, like all other women in the family was well-educated and had a good sense of direction and discipline and was well brought up in an average, middle-class family. My father, who hailed from San Jose, California did not achieve the same prestige as my mother did. Like his father before him, mine never graduated from high school, nor did he finish college and was notorious for unlawful activity which was suspected to be the reason for his many personal flaws. As my father left the family without a trace early on in life, my mother, sister and myself began a long tenure of hardship and anger spanning over a decade. Often times, it was difficult enough that my remaining parent had to work long hours and had to have close friends take care of myself and my sister to even attempt to make her ends meet.

Since parents did not have much of a factor in my life anymore, I myself became distant and troublesome as to even have law enforcement involved numerous times during my adolescence period. As a result, I became a lost figure in the eyes of society and delved further into quarrelsome behavior as a way to both cope and retaliate back at the community I lived in. This, in combination with drug abuse and other elements eventually led to my forced departure from my high school in 2005. Being devasted and clouded in judgement, I felt the conclusion that my life was meaningless and that putting the effort into bettering myself did not matter nor would it create a long-term impact on my life as a success.

After barely pulling through a second chance at high school in 2008 and after many unsuccessful attempts at rehab treatment for my problems, I was given an eviction notice by my mother who struggled to have me in her home, without any fault of her own. Not having anywhere to go nor anyone to rely upon as I was already a notorious figure in society, I felt hopeless again as I did years previous when my substance abuse was at its peak.

However, I was relieved again when I found out about a social-services organization based out of Burlington called Spectrum; they had offered me a place to stay at Maple Street, good people who supported my recovery, my personal development, and a chance to get an apartment within the Section 8 program.

I was relieved, yet I was hesitant about doing this, for I was not accustomed to living with a plan to be better than I was at the time. However, little did I discover how important the interpersonal skills and development I achieved at Maple St would be applied to me quite literally. I could say that going through this program at Spectrum was the very reason I am alive today and why I still have success now in life.

Fast forward to 2011, after years of treatment for my problems, I became well enough where I felt the need to find a profession that helped release me from the struggles of poverty and Section 8 housing. At the time, I maintained an apartment of my own and had a full-time job but was at a dead end in my career in retail. This in addition to the growing financial obligations from subsidized housing led me to the conclusion that I could no longer live in the conditions that I was presently in.

Going back to school was almost a dream for me as I could neither afford it, nor did I feel like I could be motivated enough to stay committed to my degree program. As someone who made a lifelong career of not holding commitments, I was almost positive that college would not be a realistic choice for me. That being said, one day while talking to Mark Redmond, I brought up the issue of outgrowing Section 8 and the need to better myself again. Little did I discover the impact of my words again as Mark Redmond encouraged me to go back to school to get a degree. Not only did he encouraged me to do so but ensured that my tenure at Vermont Technical College would be supported by him and Spectrum. As a result of the help I received from Spectrum once more, I was able to complete my Associates of Applied Science in Automotive Technology and begin a career as a technician for one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the country. Without the help of Spectrum or Mark, I doubt that my success would’ve became a reality nor would it motivated me further to continue pursuing a bachelor’s in business from the same college.

For the donors, your contributions to Spectrum are the reason people like me have hope and believe they can be greater than themselves.

So many in our society are at risk, so many of our youth are displaced, disenfranchised, or discarded because they don’t have any hope, because they feel lost and they feel society doesn’t care about them at all. My solemn request of all of you in this room right now in response to this growing crisis before us today, pay it forward and help those who need it most.

Because of you, I am no longer in poverty. Because of you, I am no longer a statistic of the Prison Industrial Complex that held its iron grip on me. Because of you, I am no longer afraid to stand tall in the darkness. I thank each and everyone of you for what you did and I hope will all heart with all heart that you will continue to help those in need like you all did with me. That is all.

The post “Because of you, I am no longer a statistic” appeared first on Spectrum Youth & Family Services.

Thanks to your support, our warming shelter housed teens and young adults who had nowhere else to stay this past winter.

A safe haven during the winter months

The past few winters have been challenging for young people facing homelessness in Burlington. All area shelters have been full, including the adult warming shelter that was launched four years ago, and our Drop-In staff often had to turn youth away at the end of the day not knowing where they would spend the night.

Luckily, thanks to generous community members like you, our warming shelter served 33 teens and young adults over the course of the winter who had nowhere else to stay.

One of the youth who came to us had been sleeping at the airport. Another, in a laundromat. Another, in a parking garage. Some stayed with us only a few weeks until they were able to find permanent housing, while others were able to move into the Landing, one of Spectrum’s residences, as beds opened up.

“The shelter provided people with an opportunity to regain some stability in their lives,” says Will, the Supported Housing Supervisor at Spectrum. “When you think about homeless people and housing programs, there are often people that just need a week or two of stability to get their feet back under them.”

“Last year, we had full occupancy in our other housing program and months-long waiting lists. That wasn’t really acceptable. We felt like we needed to do something about it.”

A community effort made possible by you.

The community truly came together to support this project. Bishop Christopher Coyne and Father Lance Harlow were kind enough to host the shelter at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral. The Community Health Centers of Burlington donated cots, and the UVM Medical Center volunteered to do laundry. The Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf’s Good Food Truck and parishioners of St. Joseph’s provided many meals.

Financial support for the shelter was provided by the Argosy Foundation, UVM Medical Center, the Hoehl Family Foundation, Debra and Bill Gottesman, Vermont Federal Credit Union, an anonymous donor, Janet Farina, parishioners at Our Lady of Grace Church, and generous donors like you.

“The operation was really great. Being able to use their space was amazing” says Will about St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral. “Father Harlow, who is the priest at St. Joseph’s, came in almost every single day and helped out as well.”

When asked what he would like to tell community members, Will had this to say: “Thanks to everyone who helped support the shelter this year. You really gave people the chance to regain some stability in their lives.”

And best of all? We didn’t have to turn anybody away.

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