Dear Friends,

As I write to you, a handful of young people are sleeping soundly in a safe, warm, supervised place, created just for them. With great effort and little fanfare, we began providing shelter in partnership with First Presbyterian Church on December 1. This partnership, a true blessing to us, has also become a relief to many who provide services for youth and/or understand the severity of youth homelessness in Fairbanks.

It is also a relief to the young people who can’t go home. One of our guests, a student, found his way to us with the help of six agencies. Hanging out at Walmart until 3 in the morning a worker got suspicious. She discovered he had no where to go. She called the police to learn what was available. They gave her our number. She called us on his behalf. We encouraged the youth to call the Safe Place number that Careline answers so he could access a ride to the youth shelter. Arctic Cab picked him up and brought him here. SInce he was a student and because of the partnership with the school district, we were able to arrange a cab for him to get to school. It really does take a village.

Fairbanks Youth Advocates was established to help our most vulnerable during hard times. Your tax deductible donation helps us meet critical unmet needs. Partner with us. Pray, donate, volunteer. Together we are making a difference. 

shelter update

On December 1, we officially began providing shelter in the basement of First Presbyterian Church, 547 7th Ave. We occupy the Fellowship Hall between 9pm and 8am nightly. The shelter, run by Fairbanks Youth Advocates, provides a supervised safe place to sleep and get something to eat. Youth have access to winter gear, personal hygiene supplies, and shower. We connect them to other community resources too – but, most importantly, the shelter is a place where youth can sleep without fear of being bothered. We are so pleased to finally be providing this much needed service for Fairbanks’ youth and their families.

community youth advocates

Grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received from our community, we realize we absolutely could not be doing this without you. Many are seeing the needs either on our facebook site, the website, or newsletter and sending items our way. Some are volunteering their time. Over 50 volunteers have initiated a volunteer application and in the process of going through background checks. It takes many youth advocates to successfully support our homeless youth population. As a community, together, we can help our young people remain safe.

We have awesome volunteers. Fairbanks Youth Advocates would like to extend a special thanks to Dick Erwin, an AmeriCorps volunteer through Joel’s Place Seasons of Service, who has been serving our organization since August as the Shelter Coordinator, while completing his internship with the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance through ASU. Thanks to his efforts in researching and networking, we have been able to design a program appropriate for young people. Since the shelter opened its doors, he has served almost every night, supervising youth at the shelter, training other volunteers, and working out the best ways to keep things operating smoothly. December 21, is his last official day with us as he sets his sights on new goals and adventures.

looking back

On November 7, Fairbanks Youth Advocates joined FCA’s Street Outreach and Advocacy Program, Access Alaska, Joel’s Place, and other community organizations and supporters for the Candlelight Vigil for Homeless Youth.  This annual event raises awareness of the issues of homeless youth population in Fairbanks.  Supporters carried candles and signs about youth homelessness and marched down to Airport and back, before gathering at First Presbyterian. Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor, Luke Hopkins, and Fairbanks City Mayor, Jerry Cleworth, as well as Fairbanks Youth Advocates Director, Marylee Bates, and FCA Director, Camille Conneley-Terhune, addressed the group after the walk.

looking forward

Keep your eyes open for Fairbanks Youth Advocates upcoming events and activities.

• The Door Construction will begin May 2013!  We look forward to its completion by next winter.
• We are hiring for a Family Support Counselor. See our website for more information.
• Watch our website – we post needs as they arise.