Lighthouse Opening Complex to Serve Homeless Young People
LIGHTHOUSE OPENING COMPLEX TO SERVE HOMELESS YOUNG PEOPLE
New Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth is a $20 million, four-story facility
CINCINNATI (December 19, 2017) – Lighthouse Youth & Family Services will host an Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in celebration of the completion of its new Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth.
New Sheakley Center for Youth
Open House
Thursday, December 21, 2017
3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 3:30 p.m.
2314 Iowa Avenue, Cincinnati
Nearly 40 percent of the area’s homeless are under the age of 25, and the number is growing. Lighthouse Youth & Family Services, the only local agency focused on serving homeless youth, is leading the effort to end youth homelessness in Cincinnati by 2020. Today, we’re proud to announce that construction of the building at the center of this effort, the new Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth, is complete.
The new Sheakley Center for Youth houses 36 shelter bedrooms, 39 apartments, a day resource center, a teaching kitchen, health care and laundry facilities, and teams of experts in mental health and substance abuse. The goal is to get homeless youth, aged 18 to 24, into safe housing as quickly as possible. Once off the streets, trained staff members work with clients to create individual plans to achieve self-sufficiency.
The new center expands the agency’s capacity, which means Lighthouse can help three times as many young people into independent housing.
Experts in trauma-informed care were consulted on the center’s design. A wall filled with live plants greets young people as they enter the building.
“Lighthouse considered every detail of construction carefully. We worked to create a safe and secure facility that feels like home and is, at the same time, therapeutic,” said Lighthouse Youth & Family Services President & CEO Paul Haffner.
This project has had the support of the community and funders, including Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Corporation for Supportive Housing, City of Cincinnati, FHLB Cincinnati, Key Bank, PNC Bank, and Model Group.
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About Lighthouse Youth & Family Services
Mission: advance the dignity and well-being of children, youth and families in need
Lighthouse Youth & Family Services is dedicated to providing the best services and compassionate care to children, youth, and families in need. The agency is a nationally recognized innovator in services for youth and families in crisis, foster care and adoption, mothers and babies, homeless youth and young adults, and youth involved with the juvenile justice system. Lighthouse also provides opportunities for learning and achievement for all students as well as housing options for young adults learning to become self-sufficient.