Causes: Children & Youth, Children & Youth Services, Christianity, Family Services, Homeless & Housing, Homeless Centers, Human Services, Religion

Mission: We believe in the redemptive power of christ to help homeless youth find home: by offering the hospitality of christ; by journeying with them to provide transformational guidance; by instilling hope to exit the streets toward a more stable lifestyle. (cont'd on sch o)outreach, inc. Is a christian ministry in indianapolis reaching out to homeless and at-risk young adults with the compassion of jesus christ. Outreach accomplishes this by providing street outreach, a youth drop-in center, holistic social services, emergency/referral services and case management; operated in an environment of god's love.

Programs: Street outreach:our street outreach takes us to hidden places where homeless and runaway youth live: the streets, wooded areas, bridge underpasses, parks, and abandoned houses. As we meet the youth on the street, we provide a listening ear and address their immediate physical needs of food, clothing, first aid, and safety. For those who desire to come off the streets immediately, we take them to a shelter. Through this combination of listening and meeting physical needs, we establish relationships built on trust. The relationship is foundational because it allows us to work with the youth, empowering them to make the choices which are necessary to come off the street.

case management (cont'd on sch o):life changes can begin with very specific needs such as assistance in obtaining id's, birth certificates, social security cards, transportation, passes, receiving leads for jobs or housing, and referrals for medical prenatal programs. Through these initial services, the social worker and vocational/educational resource manager of outreach, inc. Start to build a relationship with the youth. Working through emotional and spiritual struggles they help to develop a more comprehensive, long-term service plan with goals and objectives. Time is also spent on life and social skills that most of us take for granted such as money management, employability, and home economics. Connecting with ged completion assistance, vocational training programs, and postsecondary educational opportunities are important steps in these life changes. The outreach inc. Staff also helps youth reunify with their families when that is appropriate, connect with churches, and network with other service providers and community resources. The youth we assist are usually afraid to access other mainline social services or have little access to them because they are not in school, do not have a phone, or do not have an id. Outreach, inc. Serves in the gap to walk along side them as they connect with needed resources and rebuild their lives. Street youth in crisis are able to access us 24 hours a day via our toll free hotline number. As a result of this availability and reestablished trust, they call us in their most desperate times, including even while contemplating suicide, allowing us to support them through their pain.

g. O. A. L. Program (cont'd on sch o):our g. O. A. L. Program (graduation, occupation, address, and lifestyle) supports at-risk high-school students in marion county, by assigning a case manager whose focus is on offering specific needs unique to each student. Walking with students through their high-school journey, our case managers offer relational and spiritual support to normalize their high school experience and support student's retention through high school. Homeless students who are provided with positive supports are significantly more likely to graduate high school and rise above the cycle of homelessness. Outreach has developed a program to help homeless students graduate, engage in post-secondary educational opportunities, get a job and change their life. We provide resources such as advocacy, bus passes for transportation to school and employment opportunities, assistance in obtaining identification, offering primary support for medical needs and insurance gaps, even caps and gowns - everything necessary for students to earn their diploma. As we empower students to become self-sufficient by offering assistance to meet their basic needs, we also allow them to develop life-skills necessary to navigate the pathways of life. By assisting them to develop and maintain healthy relationships with our staff, we offer an example of setting boundaries and healthy relational development. Our main focus is on developing and emphasizing educational opportunities; as a result 90% of our students who graduate go on to post-secondary education including college, vocational school and military service.

drop program:our drop-in center includes a clothing and hygiene product pantry, a food pantry, laundry facilities, shower facilities, and meals. The youth can come to the drop-in center to access services, have a safe place to hang out, and to work with staff and volunteers on the issues that will help them remove themselves from street life. Many youth come just to talk. Our bible study group provides a casual forum for kids who are asking questions about god, christianity, and their own personal spiritual beliefs. When someone seeks our help, we provide all our services regardless of their personal beliefs, lifestyle, or practices.