Northeastern Pennsylvania Youth Shelter

Welcome to the Family

aka NEPA Youth Shelter   |   SCRANTON, PA   |  www.nepayouthshelter.org

Mission

The mission of the NEPA Youth Shelter is to provide quality emergency shelter and related services to unaccompanied youth ages 14 through high school graduation from all counties in NEPA. The Shelter will provide essentials such as food, clothing, and bathrooms, as well as services such as educational support, counseling, family reunification, and/or preparation for independent living. With a focus on social justice and advocacy, the Shelter will be welcoming to youth from all backgrounds and especially affirming to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth, as this population constitutes a high percentage of homeless youth in our area.

Ruling year info

2016

Executive Director and Founder

Maureen Maher-Gray

Main address

PO BOX 20176

SCRANTON, PA 18502 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

81-3748747

NTEE code info

Youth Centers, Clubs, (includes Boys/Girls Clubs)- Multipurpose (O20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our after school teen drop in center serves the teen population, ages 14-19, in Lackawanna County. 85% of the students who attend our mail school district qualify for free and reduced government lunches. 95% of the teens we serve are people of color. We serve students from a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds. Some of our teens do not live with a biological parent. Many do not have supervision when they go home after school. Our center provides snacks, a hot evening meal, a game room, art room, a computer room with a printer, 2 clothing exchange rooms including a supply of school district uniforms. Our Rapid Rehousing Program currently supports two 18 year old males who were homeless. We provide financial support for one year and the services of a Life Skills Coach to teach these young men who to function in the adult world.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Healthy Relationships

In collaboration with the Women's Resource Center, we host a weekly session with one of their educators to have frank conversations about healthy relationships- family, intimate partner, friends.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

A weekly yoga class led by a certified yoga instructor.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

In collaboration with Geisinger School of Medicine students, weekly art classes are conducted. Soap making, candle making, knitting, etc.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Notable adults from our local community come and speak to the teens to share their personal stories and offer advise as our teens enter the adult world.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents

Where we work

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We are aiming to address homelessness and the lack of services for low income, at-risk teens. We are working with several homeless teens who are over 18 with housing insecurities. We know that there are more teens out there without a stable living situation. As funding permits, we will expand our Rapid Rehousing Program to include more teens.

We are performing an in depth cost analysis and regulation review in order to understand what our parameters are should we pursue creating an emergency shelter. We have over 1000 supporters who have donated cash or tangible goods in the past three years. Many of these donors have indicated they will support any efforts we make to achieve an overnight shelter. We will provide naming rights opportunities. We will provide purchasing or donating materials opportunities. We have several corporations who require their employees to perform community service hours that we can tap into for demolition, construction, and fundraising.

We have a dedicated Executive Director, a part time assistant/Life Skills Coach and a over 20 dedicated volunteers working to make the organization successful.

As of March 15, 2020, we have enrolled over 190 teens in our center. We have served an average 50teens per day. We have placed three homeless teens into permanent housing so that they will complete high school and begin either higher education or a job.

Our next step is to thoroughly investigate the creation of an emergency shelter and whether it will be rehabilitation of an existing building or new construction. We are also doing a service study by documenting the number of calls we receive from people seeking shelter. If the need is confirmed, we will then mount a capital campaign to raise the funds to complete the new building.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    We serve low income, at-risk teens ages 14-19, primarily people of color.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Paper surveys, Case management notes,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We expanded our Rapid Rehousing Program, ages 18-21, from 1 client to 3. We successfully raised additional funds to make this change.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our staff, Our board,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    We have always tried to instill in our clients that we are here for them, their needs, their wants, their safety. We are getting a higher rate of response now when we produce a survey than we did two years ago.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback,

Financials

Northeastern Pennsylvania Youth Shelter
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Northeastern Pennsylvania Youth Shelter

Board of directors
as of 02/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Wendy Haggerty

Paul Datti

John Rosengrant

Alita Soulsby

April Guse

Ty Holmes

Cathy Mascelli

Nadine Gowarty

Ashanti Littlejohn

Lawrence Pugliese

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/22/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/22/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.