For teens in crisis, program offers help in a safe haven
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Cole Baitz, center, stands with his mother Jessica, left, and father Jay outside their Barre Town home, where they provide shelter for teens in crisis. Kyle Martel/Times Argus |
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By SUSAN ALLEN TIMES ARGUS STAFF - Published: November 23, 2009
BARRE – Jay and Jessica Baitz of Barre Town have been providing a "shelter home" for kids in crisis for two years, in that time offering a safe place where about 10 young people were able chill out, briefly escape the serious pressures at home and work with counselors on the problems they face.
"For some of them it's a break from the issues at home and a chance to get away from it and think about what's going on," said Jay Baitz, a teacher at Barre City Elementary and Middle School, referring to the Washington County Youth Service Bureau's Country Roads shelter program.
For the families who provide a safe haven, he said, the program is a way to help kids in need by providing them with a stable place to regroup.
"It's been pretty successful for these kids," Baitz said Sunday, noting that he can follow the progress of some of the youth who attend his school. "You get attached to some of them very easily. They are very nice kids."
There are about 10 shelter homes in the area, said Chris Steller of the YSB, including in the communities of Montpelier, Plainfield, Cabot and Waterbury. At the moment, Jay and Jessica Baitz are providing the only shelter home in the Barre area.
Steller said more shelter parents are needed throughout the region, but particularly in Barre, where there is a growing need for such assistance.
"Barre is a community where we have one shelter home and we need more," said Steller.
The effort is part of the Youth Service Bureau's Country Roads program, which provides prevention services to keep young people from running away from home or finding themselves in state custody when problems escalate.
"The goal is more or less to keep families intact whenever possible," said Steller.
Country Roads works in tandem with Washington County Mental Health and the state's Department of Children and Families. Under the temporary shelter program, kids in crisis between the ages of 12 and 17 come to the attention of the YSB any number of ways – from police, school or other agency referral, or from the children themselves who are aware of the service.
The teens might have run away from home, or are considering running away; their parents might have asked them to leave; or they could be "couch surfing," moving around among friends and relatives, Steller said.
Shelter parents, who are screened with a background check and licensed, agree to take in the teen, provide two meals a day and a safe place to stay for up to two weeks – no longer. Jay Baitz said he has hosted kids for anywhere from one night to the full two-week stay.
The shelter parents are provided a $40 per night stipend to pay for food and expenses, and the kids are screened to ensure they are a safe and appropriate match for the shelter home. In addition, the YSB has someone on call 24 hours a day to respond to any emergencies.
Steller said they are essentially "folks who have extra space in their home, extra time and who want to help youth and families in the community."
Most of the shelter parents work full time, and the bureau helps with transportation for the kids, Steller said. Counseling for the kids is also provided with a goal toward family reunification if appropriate, and if not, case management to find stable housing.
Although the numbers vary, Steller said the bureau places about 30 to 40 kids a year in shelter homes, trying whenever possible to keep them in their hometowns and attending their current schools.
He said the need is up, although it's not clear why. Economic pressures might be a factor, Steller said, as could the approaching cold weather and holiday season, which can also increase pressure on families.
Baitz said he learned of the program when a bureau staffer briefed teachers at a school staff meeting. He said he was aware of the need because of his dealings with students at the school (his wife is a teacher, also). Their main concern was how the shelter program might impact their own son, who was three at the time.
"We've never had any problems whatsoever with that aspect of it," Baitz said. He also worried about taking in the kids he knew personally from school, but has found that not to be a problem, either.
Basically, Baitz said, with minor exceptions the program has gone smoothly for he and Jessica as shelter parents. And, he hopes, for the teens who have come to their home looking for a break from the stresses that threaten to leave them homeless.
"There's a lot of kids who have that need once in awhile," he said.
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