LAKE COUNTY — The homeless rate among youth is being brought to attention this month. Clearlake City Council declared June as Homeless Youth Awareness Month with a proclamation presented during its regular meeting on Thursday, June 12.
Lake County Community Action Agency (LCCAA) Executive Director Georgina Lehne was on hand to accept the proclamation from Clearlake Mayor Curt Giambruno. The action agency is currently acting as the lead agency is establishing the first “safe house” for at-risk teens in Lake County.
“This will be the first time in the history of this county that these kids are going to have a safe place to go,” Lehne said.
According to information provided by Lehne, the 2000 Census determined there to be 3,000 youth, age 16 to 19, in Lake County. Of these 3000 children, 656 (22 percent) were reportedly homeless and 369 (12 percent) were neither in school nor employed.
Currently, some these children are being served by “angels.” The Angel Network consists of individuals who take in displaced children and give them a safe and healthy place to stay. “These are good, caring people,” Lehne said. “A lot of the children come to them through association with their own children but some are just people in the community who have extra space and just want to help.”
According to Lehne, the Angel Network is running out of room. “The population is growing and so is the need,” she said.
Friends of Safe House, the steering committee for the project, is working toward addressing that need. The committee”s first official fundraiser, a golf tournament held in May at Rob Roy on Cobb Mountain, netted $20,000 toward the cause. Plans are to make the tournament an annual event.
“One of the things that impressed me the most about this event was the people on the mountain,” Lehne said. “They really came out to support this.”
The Safe House of Lake County is receiving widespread support. First District Assemblymember Patty Berg extended her support in a letter. “Teen homelessness is a problem throughout the 1st Assembly District, and I am pleased to hear that work has begun on a program that could be an answer for some of the many Clearlake community teens who don”t have stable homes,” Berg wrote. “Many of these young people are simply trying to escape drug and alcohol abuse or violent domestic situations, and it is gratifying to know that Safe House can provide a safe alternative to ?couch hopping” or sleeping on the streets.”
Support has also been extended by Prevent Child Abuse, Lake County Children”s Council; Clearlake Police Department, Lake County Board of Supervisors, Lake County Sheriff”s Department, Team DUI and the Clearlake City Council.
“The City Council of the City of Clearlake would like to state their support for the plans of the Lake County Community Action Agency to develop a safe house for young adults of the community,” stated Mayor Curt Giambruno in a letter of support. “This project would be an asset to the City of Clearlake by providing a place for misplaced youth to feel safe and to educate them to be productive citizens.”
The proclamation declared by the city council calls for support from the community to increase awareness through education, media attention and outreach. Anyone interested in joining the Friends of Safe House committee is encouraged to call the Lake County Community Action Agency for more information at 995-0495.
The Safe House of Lake County will provide a short-term residence and a comprehensive program of services for runaway, homeless and “throwaway” youth younger than 18 years. Goals are to serve more than 150 children a year using two residences. Housing will be limited to 10 males and 10 females at a time for a maximum period of 30 to 45 days. Friends of Safe House is seeking a place to establish a residence, either through rental or ownership. The committee welcomes any donation that may help it achieve its goal. Lehne said any donation qualifies as tax-deductible.
“This has been something that”s been needed in this county for years and were finally getting started,” Lehne said. “Our immediate goal is to have something in place by September.”
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
