"The Storefront"
The Storefront is a program of San Diego Youth & Community Services (SDYCS). As the only emergency homeless shelter for youth ages 12-17, The Storefront provides a unique and extremely positive service to the community. Not only does it provide shelter to homeless teens, it actively helps them stay off the streets. As a result of the Storefront programs and staff, many youth change the direction of their lives in a positive way as they are placed in long term safe environments.
Programs at The Storefront
Many homeless youth initially become aware of The Storefront from the outreach program. Volunteers comb the street in San Diego twice a day, six days a week searching for homeless youth. These youth are offered free food, clothing, medical care, survival information, and an opportunity to stay at The Storefront. Often it may take several months before trust is established with the outreach worker and the youth will stay at the shelter. Once there, they will receive food, room and board, be assigned a case manager, and receive job training and other essential life skills while attending school.
The Storefront's night shelter houses up to 20 teens each night, 365 days a year. Teens who would otherwise be spending nights sheltered by little more than freeway overpasses, are provided with food, showers, clean beds, and the opportunity to take advantage of all The Storefront has to offer.
The Storefront provides a day drop in center from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center provides computers, books, videos, and games to keep youth occupied in productive and educational ways.
In 2006, The Storefront's outreach program, night shelter and day drop in center assisted 1,555 homeless youth. Of the 169 teens that stayed at the shelter, 84 were reunited with parents and legal guardians. Safe options were found for another 66 teens. The Storefront had an 88% rate of placing youth in safe places, higher than the year before. The Storefront is one of the most successful homeless shelters in the United States.
Our Contribution
As our sole beneficiary, The Storefront has provided the perfect avenue for Photocharity to fulfill our mission of making a difference in the community. Not only have we raised awareness about The Storefront and its programs, we have been able to provide significant funding (their largest private donor) that has established new programs and staffing and continued to support the ongoing services needed.
Our first benefit concert in 2002 enabled us to fund breakfast at The Storefront for one year, weekly anger management groups, educational books and videos, and purchase a new van for street outreach activities.
Our second concert, held in March 2003, was able to raise over $106,000 of which over $84,300 (80%) was presented to SDYCS to fund The Storefront. This funded the following: Breakfast for one year for all the youth in the shelter, a full time independent living skills instructor, 20 hour per week case manager, weekly anger management class (African drumming), three times per week after-school program, and clean linens.
The third concert, held in 2004, raised $152,000, of which $120,651 (79% of gross revenues raised) was received by SDYCS to fund The Storefront. This continued to fund the same programs at The Storefront (as the prior year) and funded a music director for the after school program and a part time maintenance worker. Out of the music program came the formation of the Photocharity Thursday Night Teen (TNT) Band comprised of The Storefront teens. The TNT Band has performed at several of the Photocharity fundraisers and has produced a CD of original songs.
On July 5, 2005, Photocharity presented a check for $135,000 as a result of our fourth sold out event on April 17. This check funded the programs from the prior years and added an after-school program for expressive arts and health education classes.
Photocharity presented a check for $324,000 to SDYCS for programs at The Storefront on January 9, 2007. This increased amount was a result of the sold out 'Wells Fargo Concert of Hope' held on April 30, 2006 at Humphrey's by the Bay, featuring Tommy Castro. This check represents a two-year grant to The Storefront to continue to provide breakfast, anger management classes, health education classes, the after-school art and music programs, salaries for an independent living skills instructor, case manager, music director and assistants, outreach director and maintenance worker. In addition to yearly funding of The Storefront, Photocharity is providing funds for placement and services for two youth in long-term housing (Photocharity Angel Home).
The results of our Photocharity Angel Team have truly saved homeless youth. With the continued help of angels like you, we were able to reach our goal of raising over $1 million in five years to help The Storefront save homeless youth. San Diego's youth are the future of our community. Each life changed is a step in the right direction, not only for San Diego's youth, but for all of us.
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