A Moment Of Good
Finding solutions for people in need
Since its inception in 2011, Safe Place for Youth (“SPY”) has been serving the beachside community of Venice in exactly that way - by providing homeless youth with a safe place to meet the individual basic needs that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. From hot showers, clothing, and meals to counseling and education, SPY has proven to be an integral part of the lives of the hundreds of youth they serve each year.
According to the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, in 2017 there was a 61% increase in the amount of unsheltered homeless youth in Los Angeles County. Last year, with the help of their donors, volunteers, and staff, SPY was able to serve 1,171 homeless youth, ages 12-25. With the cost of living in Los Angeles rising and the amount of affordable housing decreasing, SPY is gearing up for another busy year.
JAM sat down with Cody Metzger, Development Associate at SPY, to find out a little more about what they do, and to ask how we can help spread the word.
JAM: Tell me a little bit about Safe Place for Youth. How did it come to fruition?
SPY: Our founder, Alison, moved to Venice with her family. Her teenage son was a skateboarder and they spent a lot of time at the Venice skate park. Alison noted the amount of young people in Venice and discovered that a large number of them were homeless. She saw minimal services available for them and decided to change that. Our main focus is housing and safety: how can we get these kids off of the streets and into a safe place?
Inside the S.P.Y. Drop In Center
JAM: You started out as a completely volunteer run organization and have grown enough to be able to hire full-time staff. Still, how important are volunteers to Safe Place for Youth?
SPY: We currently have 300 active volunteers who help with all areas of programming: 100% of our meals program is volunteer and donation based! Our volunteers offer drop-in center support, run the clothing closet, monitor the showers, and lead workshops for our Healing Arts program. In addition, our volunteers provide street outreach, where they go out 5 days a week on the Boardwalk and pockets around Abbot Kinney and engage with the local street-based youth to give them information about our programs. We are hoping to expand our street outreach to Santa Monica in the near future.
JAM: What kinds of services do you offer on-site?
SPY: Housing assistance, crisis intervention, health & wellness checks (including HIV tests), legal support, referrals to outside agencies that specialize in addiction, pregnant and parenting case management, education and employment, and we have an arts & healing program.
The S.P.Y. Clothing Closet
JAM: I heard you have a new counseling bungalow?
SPY: Yes! It’s essentially a shipping container where we can provide a private space for counseling, one-on-one therapy, and case management. It was generously gifted to us by the women's giving circle at Women Helping Youth. It is open during our drop-in hours.
JAM: I’m an LA native and when I was tasked with this interview, I did a little research and I was floored by the fact that I have never heard of SPY because what you do is so important. What can JAM and our readers do to help?
S.P.Y. health clinic
SPY: Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, sign up for our monthly newsletter, become a recurring donor, support the local businesses in our community who give back 10% of their Tuesday sales to SPY and volunteer!
JAM: This is a two-parter: do you have any fundraisers coming up, and what do you need in terms of donations?
SPY: We have 3 core fundraisers a year. We’d love community support via sponsorships and tickets! Our Gala is going to be amazing this year.
JAM: And who do we reach out to for that?
SPY: Me! codym@safeplaceforyouth.org
Written by Tammy Buchanan
