Help for Homeless Young Adults 18-24

Community Juvenile Justice Services Foster Care & Adoption Help for Homeless Young Adults 18-24 OhioRISE Outpatient Mental Health Services Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Residential Treatment Services Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth Safe Shelter for Youth 10-17

Street Outreach Team

Homeless youth are often invisible. And many are afraid to come out of the shadows. Our experienced outreach team searches them out. The Lighthouse Street Outreach Team drives and walks the streets seeking out youth who have nowhere to call home.

  • The team works to find homeless kids before danger does.
  • They canvass unsafe places in search of youth on the streets, including homeless camps and abandoned buildings.
  • Outreach specialists work collaboratively with local police to tackle the problem of youth homelessness.
  • The team intervenes to advocate for and stop the potential or occurring victimization of homeless youth.

Armed with survival supplies like food and water, the street outreach team offers on-the-spot assistance. The team’s constant and reassuring presence earns them trust among the youth on the streets, and gives them the chance to let the kids know they have options beyond survival sex, drugs, and other dangers of the street.

Our outreach specialists understand the importance of building relationships with youth on the streets, and the decision to seek shelter involves trust. The team is always ready to help young people make the transition to the shelter.

The Lighthouse Street Outreach Team is trained to work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Lighthouse offers Safe Spaces and empowers the individuals we serve to be open and honest about their lives. Our youth workers understand the unique challenges of acceptance and discrimination that LGBTQ youth and young adults may be facing in life.

Our team is also actively engaged in human trafficking prevention/intervention efforts. Outreach specialists recognize, respect, and respond to victims/survivors in ways that are trauma informed and culturally competent.