Bloomington volunteers devote hours to homeless teens BY SUE WEBBER CONTRIBUTING WRITER It all started about seven years ago, after a series of newspaper stories appeared in the Sun Current about growing suburban poverty. A woman who volunteered with a local food shelf became concerned about the issue and convened a community meeting in Bloomington. Representatives from Heading Home Hennepin were invited. About 60 people attended the meeting, and at the end, they were asked to sign up if they were interested in pursuing solutions to the problem. Leslie Stiles of Bloomington was among those at that meeting, and she, along with eight others, began meeting monthly to study the issue and look at gaps in services. “We wanted to see what regular folks like us could do to make a difference,” Stiles said. “We decided youth homelessness was the place to dig in. It took us a long time to figure out how best to serve the population.” In 2008, the group undertook a oneyear study, networking with existing youth service providers and speaking with various other stakeholders including school administrators, teachers, social workers, personnel from Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota, and youth. A needs assessment study conducted in 2009 confirmed what the group had consistently heard: young people experiencing homelessness and housing instability were everywhere, including the suburbs of Hennepin County, and their numbers were growing. There were no programs targeting youth experiencing homelessness in south Hennepin County, and none of the existing providers in the metro area had the capacity to expand to the suburbs. As a result of their study and deter-
mination, the nonprofit Oasis for Youth Drop-In Resource Center opened its doors in 2010 at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, 2200 West Old Shakopee Road in Bloomington. It serves youth ages 1422 in Bloomington, Edina and Richfield. Stiles, who serves as chair of the ninemember Oasis board and spends hours each day at its headquarters, said, “Great community members have stepped forward and a lot of volunteers have been with us since the very first month.” Oasis for Youth worked with 189 different young people last year, though they were not all homeless, Stiles said. “There are a wide range of situations,” she said. Young people who come to Oasis for Youth may be referred to a housing program, or they may receive help in figuring out a safe place to stay. Some need help with their resumes. Oasis for Youth has established relationships with local high schools, from which they get referrals via social workers, counselors or word of mouth. The agency is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Drop-in hours are 2-5 p.m.; the rest of the day is by appointment. A meal is served on Tuesday nights to all who show up. Stiles has found that interaction with other volunteers and staff is a key reason why she continues her all-absorbing commitment to youth homelessness. She says she came from a family whose values made sure they were involved in the community and doing whatever they could to make things better. “I came with the knowledge of resources in the Twin Cities and knowing this gap,” Stiles said. “But I think the reason I came to this, and I suspect this is true for most of the founders, is through my faith. Oasis is not a faith-based organization, even though we are housed in a VOLUNTEERS - TO PAGE 6