Since 2019, the Youth Outreach, Safety and Transportation Program has placed Ozone House’s Transportation and Community Outreach Coordinator at the Ypsilanti Transit Center and on key bus routes. The Coordinator’s role is to connect with young people and community members for outreach and relationship building, crisis prevention and intervention, and resource support. The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA aka …
Denim Day – April 28th, 2021
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted. These assaults can include rape, child sexual abuse, and intimate partner sexual violence. Although only 5 out of every 1,000 rapes ends with a prison conviction, the survivors of these violent crimes are often left with psychological, emotional and physical effects. The very low conviction rate …
Protect LGBTQ Youth from Homophobia
Over the weekend, Ann Arbor City Council member, Jeff Hayner shared a highly offensive and hate filled quote including a homophobic slur on his personal Facebook page. His remarks also used a derogatory term for individuals experiencing homelessness. His decision to use the quote was dangerous and perpetuated stigma that is already pervasive. This kind of hateful language, even when …
Elected Officials Must Protect Transgender Youth
Yesterday, members of the Michigan Senate introduced a new bill that will discriminate against transgender students. This harmful bill will only increase the stigma that transgender young people already experience. At Ozone House, we know that young people thrive when they experience safety, love, and are celebrated for who they are. Perceived rejection is a strong predictor of negative health …
Black History Month exhibit for youth at Ozone House
Erica Odum, our Residential Coordinator, created a Black History Month installation at our main facility for youth living onsite to come and learn more about lesser known influential Black figures throughout our nation’s history. Community Change Maker Program Spotlight: SURE Moms “Sisters United Resilient and Empowered (SURE) is a peer support group for mothers of youth within the juvenile justice …
Support Renters and Landlords
From our partners at the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, “The Michigan Legislature is threatening to hold up federal rental assistance dollars. Contact them today to tell them they’re putting thousands of renters and landlords at risk. The Michigan Legislature is playing games with the over $660 million in emergency rental assistance sent to our state from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. The most recent …
Love for LGBTQ+ Youth this Valentine’s Day
This time of year, we would normally be gathering together at Zingerman’s Greyline for our annual Home Sweet Home event to celebrate the work Ozone House’s staff and volunteers do to support LGBTQ+ youth in our community. All proceeds from that event go to our Kicked Out Fund for LGBTQ+ youth services. While we aren’t having Home Sweet Home right …
Common Youth Reactions to Traumatic Events and Appropriate Responses from Adults
AGE 2 to 6: Reaction Generalized fear Cognitive confusion, e.g., not understanding that the danger is over Helplessness, passivity, e.g. may become mute, withdrawn, and still Anxious attachment to caregiver, e.g., clinging, not wanting to be away from caregiver, not wanting to sleep alone Sleep disturbances; night terrors Regressive reactions, e.g., toileting, dressing, speech Engaging in reenactments and play about the …
Our Statement Condemning the Assault on the U.S. Capitol
Our hearts are heavy today as we speak with young people, many of whom are young People of Color, who watched white supremacists storm the Capitol. One especially painful part was seeing the difference in how white domestic terrorists were treated by law enforcement compared to young Black and Brown protesters over the summer and throughout our nation’s history. We …
Holiday Drive for K-12 Students
Young people experiencing homelessness want to succeed in school, but it’s hard to thrive without basic supplies. This holiday season, you can help students by making a donation or purchasing items from the list below to make sure every student can succeed in school all year long. This holiday season, we want to collect enough items for 500 students. …