Youth Oasis Update

New Clinical Director for Youth Oasis

Please welcome Monica Bennett, LCSW, to the staff of Youth Oasis.  Monica has had a passion for the youth whom we serve. After having working in the Juvenile Justice system for many years, she is committed to working to help keep the youth of our community out of that system.  Youth Oasis is the perfect place for her to do that.  She comes to us from the Thibodaux Office of Youth Development, where she was both a clinical therapist and an administrator.  She will be supervising both the Basic Center and the Transitional Living Programs.  She also, with the two programs, will be developing creative and more effective approaches to serving the needs of our youth.  Welcome Monica!

Stories from the Emergency Shelter

Jamie, a 12 year-old youth, recently came to the shelter for respite services.  Through the work that Jamie and her mother did in family counseling, the relationship between the two improved, and she returned home.

 Tommy came to the shelter because his family was homeless.  His mother and sister stayed at another shelter, which could not house Tommy.  He was at the emergency shelter for 2 weeks until mother was able of receive finances to rent another apartment and family be reunified.  

 Story from Transitional Living

Clyde recently turned 19.  During his many month stay at the TLP, he has shown a great deal of maturity and responsibility.  He had a few problems, including loss of his job and irresponsible spending; but he has now secured a job which he really enjoys and appears to have a good relationship with his co-workers and supervisor.  He often rides his bike to work but is also proficient in using the public transportation system.  He has saved 80% of his income, he reports to work as scheduled, he continues to attend GED, he keeps his apartment clean and he participates in Independent Living classes and the Youth Council.  He is now working with the Housing Coordinator to locate affordable housing so he can move to Scattered Sites.

 Safe Place Program Update

We are making significant progress toward having the Safe Place program be operational by the time of our kick-off event at the end of January.  Accomplishments in this phase of the implementation include much more involvement in working with the individual middle and high schools, the development of a more extensive network of sites, including a local fast food chain, and interviewing of volunteers.  Volunteer positions include helping in the Safe Place office, helping the Safe Place Coordinator to present the program to the schools, conducting training and site checks at the many scattered Safe Place sites in the community, and actually going to the Safe Place sites to work with a youth.  For volunteer opportunities, please contact the Safe Place Coordinator, Alecia Kleinpeter, at dd @ youthoasis.org

Emergency Shelter and TLP Update

We have now implemented the national program of Child and Youth Care Worker certification for all of our staff in both programs.  This 42-hour training has four components: Creating a Culture of Care, Understanding Child Development, Teaching Discipline, and Building Relationships.  The goal is to professionalize all of our staff through this national certification.

Recent Donations

Our new Basketball Court is now completed.  Thanks so very much to the Jay Cresson Memorial Fund and to Brian Terhaar and Brian Balhoff of Goals and Poles for making this new court possible.

Volunteers from the Capital Area Human Services District created two beautiful flower beds in front of the Emergency Shelter.  Thanks so much.

Vickie Watts helped to get a significant donation of furniture from Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center.  Thanks to Vickie and to the Lake.

Gary Gullota with the Louisiana School Equipment Company has donated a number of heavy duty furniture, including an outdoor picnic table, an indoor dining table, a set of lockers for the youth counselor staff at the shelter, room dividers, along with other odds and ends.  Our shelter looks great.  Please call and schedule visit.

Alvin Smith

Executive Director