GSRM Renovates and adopts Youth Shelter Program

The Good Samaritan Youth Shelter exists to provide short term, emergency shelter for homeless youth ages 12 to 17, who have become separated from a traditional home. The Samaritan youth Shelter has been developed as a direct response to requests of local agencies working with the youth of Bay City. This is the first specialized facility in Bay and Arenac counties for homeless youth.

The shelter has accommodations for 10 beds (5 male guests, 5 female guests), and is licensed by Michigan DHHS and is available to serve any homeless youth in the State for a maximum of 30 days. This ministry allows the youth who reside in the shelter to be provided with access to healthcare at local hospitals, clinics and health centers. It also provides an opportunity  to connect the youth to local counseling services and prevents sexual exploitation and trafficking among runaway youth. There are local networking opportunities for youth to engage with vocational preparedness and to learn life skills as they transition into adulthood. 

 

The design of the youth shelter is intentional, as offering an attractive facility can leave a lasting impression on young guests, and helps to foster a notion of respect and concern shown by the members of the Shelter staff. There is no cost to the user for any services provided by the Samaritan Youth Shelter. The goal of the shelter is to reunite separated families as soon as it is safe and appropriate for the youth. The shelter provides a case management team to work with the youth and their parents to resolve the issues leading to the youth’s stay at the shelter. They also work with the youth and their families to strengthen their connection to school and the services provided by their school. Academics, counseling and support systems will be addressed by the case management team. They will also complete an assessment of the youth’s life skills and the team will formulate objectives, along with the youth and their families, to enhance their ability to meet age-appropriate milestones.

Demo existing walls, fixtures and flooring to create a wide, open, empty space in existing 1900 square foot space. Cut in two windows and infill existing exterior door. Interior framing related to the open ceiling-concept design, we self performed the framing, hanging of walls and finishing to the deck above. Interior finishes included bathrooms- additional suspended drywall grid to achieve a hard lid in this space. Installation of doors, frames hardware and bathroom accessories.

 

Some challenges faced throughout this project were: early on in the project, abatement related delays were incurred. There were also 16 different wall-types, which made layout a critical piece and became very important due to the different thicknesses and having the correct material to construct the varying types of walls. The team pulled it together and was able to deliver a high quality product by the end of the project.