The main aim of teen runaway shelters is to protect kids and reunite families. There are several methods used by teen runaway shelters to achieve this. In cases where teens are unable to return home safely, a runaway shelter can work with the child to find safer alternative living arrangements. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, over the course of a single night, 15,763 people under the age of 25 experienced homelessness. Read below to learn more about the duties performed by a teen runaway shelter.

Offers Temporary Shelter

Teen runaway shelters ensure that young people who run away have a place to stay. However, in most instances, this is just a temporary shelter. The shelters provide regular meals, access to different kinds of therapy, and the means to deal with unhealthy coping behaviors like substance abuse. There are different types of therapies that you can receive at a teen runaway shelter. This includes individual therapy to help teens communicate their reasons for running away. There are also group therapy sessions that seek to help teens in similar situations. Teen runaway therapy can help deal with entire family unit issues.

Teaches Runaway Awareness and Prevention

Runaway awareness and prevention are very important areas of focus for teen runaway shelters. These centers are designed to offer relief to youth and families who are dealing with instability. Most of the youth helped by teen runaway shelters have been at risk of running away or may have already left home. Some will be getting into an unavoidable state of crisis. Prevention services are quite important as part of runaway intervention programs. Teen runaway shelters can assist with providing respite from difficult situations.

Provides Resources

One of the problems faced by teens who run away from home is being unable to secure safe accommodation, food, and other basic needs. A teen runaway shelter can provide a stable, safe, and supportive environment for youth facing a runaway crisis. Teen runaway shelters are manned by professional staff who work to help identify and address issues and circumstances that cause these instabilities. They also help identify alternative options for safe housing. A teen runaway shelter can work with families to mediate solutions for the teen to return home safely.

A teen runaway shelter offers many crucial services for youths facing a crisis. If you know someone struggling with accommodation or a family going through a crisis, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us at Genesee County Youth Corp today. We would love to help.