Our friends at the Mid Atlantic Network for Youth published this list of 7 persistent trends impacting youth. As #OneOfMany, We at Ozone House are seeing all of these trends, and especially appreciate all the social justice work that people and groups across the country are#OneOfMany engaging in to combat racial tensions (#3 trend below) because of the increase in …
Where we find certainty
This is an uncertain time in our country. Michigan has the dubious distinction of having the most bias and hate crimes in the Midwest since the presidential election; the state has logged reports of more hate crimes in the past month than in any one year period. In Washtenaw County, we have seen a number of hate crimes perpetrated near …
“…change the way we think about the problem of youth homelessness”
Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here says the film The Homestretch is “an amazing and important film with the potential to change the way we think about the problem of youth homelessness.” We couldn’t agree more, and that’s one of many reasons why we were so excited to learn that the film earned an EMMY AWARD last week! Watch …
Small Victory for Transgender Youth (and Adults)!
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has published a “final rule” to ensure equal access for all persons in HUD-funded housing and shelter programs. Before this ruling, shelters and housing providers could discriminate against people seeking shelter based on their gender identity. Since roughly 40% of homeless youth in the United States identify as LGBTQ, this is …
173,000 Thank Yous
On September 9, our community invested $173,000 in homeless youth through our Harvest of Hope event! That is a record.$70,000 came in the form of the Hope Challenge paddle raise! 2016 Harvest of Hope Paddle Raise Brittney Barros, our keynote speaker, shared what it was like to live in ditches, live in tents, or live in garages of houses where …
Huge gold stars
Our partner, Bridgette Carr, at the UM Human Trafficking Clinic recently wrote us to say: I just wanted to give Ozone House huge gold stars. Too often we only let folks know when we are unsatisfied with things but I wanted to be sure to let you know how unbelievably impressed I have been with Ozone House this past month. [An Ozone …