Youth Services
We provide residential and non-residential services to meet the growing needs of homeless, “at risk,” and runaway youth ages 12 to 24.
We believe that all youth should be treated with respect.
A multitude of socioeconomic factors contribute to family instability, and this instability greatly impacts our young people. The philosophy of our Youth Services is that all youth should be treated with respect and offered assistance in acquiring the life skills necessary to become confident, capable, and self-determining individuals.
Do you feel that you are:
Unable to go home after school?
In an unsafe situation at home?
In need of a place where you can go to be safe?
Looking for a caring adult that you can turn to for help?
Looking for help growing into young adulthood?
We can help.
Our goal is to offer services based on the needs of youths in our care.
We offer a variety of services to help youths who are homeless, who have runaway, or who are “at risk.” Services include emergency shelter, 24/7 crisis intervention, and transitional services. Help is just a telephone call away.
Emergency Youth Shelter at Casey House
Casey House is a twelve-bed, co-ed, short-term emergency shelter for runaway, homeless, and ‘at-risk’ youth 17 years old and under.
Casey House is located at 710 Cedar Avenue in Niagara Falls. Crisis intervention services are available 24/7 in order to respond immediately to a youth in need. The youth can contact Casey House directly or they may be referred by a parent, guardian, school staff member, law enforcement, or other concerned individuals.
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When a youth enters a shelter, their parents or legal guardians are notified that the youth is in the shelter and in a safe location. Casey House staff maintains on-going contact with the family or guardian while the youth is in the shelter.
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A Casey House staff member can assess the crisis and offer services based on the needs of the youth.
Short-term, crisis-oriented counseling is provided and the staff will work with the youth and family to help resolve the current crisis and to help them learn new ways of communication to prevent family issues from reaching crisis status in the future.
If additional issues are present, the family and/or youth are referred to long-term counseling. This is frequently the case because running away is often a symptom of underlying problems with the family system.
Casey House works closely with other community service providers to ensure that the youth is linked with appropriate services in the community.
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Family reunification is the goal when possible. In those cases when reunification is not an option, the Casey House staff work to facilitate an alternate stable living environment for the youth.
CONTACT CASEY HOUSE
Safety Net for Youths Experiencing Hardship
Our 3-D Program stands for “Dare, Dream, Drive.” It offers a safety net and self-sufficiency skill-building opportunities for youth experiencing hardship.
This program is designed to work with youth for a minimum of 3 months, up to a year of support services. It is available to youth who:
Are currently homeless, at imminent risk of becoming homeless, or who are fleeing violence
Are between the ages of 12 and 24
Currently reside in the City of Niagara Falls and Niagara County
Agree to participate in the program
24/7 RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH HOTLINE
Free Youth Transitional Services
Free transitional services are available to youth ages 16 to 21 to help them learn the skills necessary to become strong, independent young adults.
Transitional services are designed to help youths struggling to grow into young adulthood but who do not need emergency shelter or services. Youth can meet with the Transitional Youth Services worker at Casey House Shelter or in other community settings.
Transitional services include residential assistance, educational assistance, counseling, job hunting and interviewing skills, social services assistance, medical assistance, and skill-building opportunities.
CALL US FOR MORE INFORMATION