Anchor House, Inc.

The Anchorage Transitional Living Program is a group home for older youth, 18 through 21 years of age, who lack the skills necessary to obtain stable employment, secure adequate housing, or otherwise act as mature young adults. The Anchorage accepts youth who are transitioning out of the child welfare system, youth leaving residential facilities and ready for step down programs, and youth uninvolved with the child welfare system and struggling to survive on their own by living on the streets.

Most youth had a disruptive adolescence, lack social supports, have behavioral and/or mental health needs, increased risk factors associated with familial and neighborhood poverty, experienced trauma, and suffer from long term effects of choices made in adolescence. These youth often require multiple system involvement, yet consistently underutilize critical services for which they are eligible.
To meet its objectives, The Anchorage provides:
-Safe, supervised living accommodations for up to eight youth for average periods of 18 months, the duration of which is determined on an individual basis
-Food, clothing, and transportation
-Mental health assessments, individual therapy, and psycho-educational groups
-Substance abuse screenings and referrals
-Life skills education and assessments
-Assistance in obtaining employment
-Assistance in completing or furthering education
-Case management and advocacy
-Recreational/cultural activities
-Opportunities to volunteer in the community
-Opportunities to increase support networks and establish life-long connections
-Referrals to community resources

Anchor Line Supportive Housing Program provides subsidized apartments for homeless youth, 18 through 21 years of age. Youth receive live skills training, employment and education assistance, medical and mental health attention and therapeutic counseling. Youth are taught how to advocate for themselves, access supportive services, and obtain and retain employment. Our programs seek to provide asset and skill development activities to assist youth in making a successful transition to adulthood and to integrate various preventative and supportive strategies to promote positive youth development, competence building and independence. Life skills training include, but not limited to: job development skills, financial education, computer literacy, driver’s education, home management, and a wide range of other life domains.
We serve the youth who have no safe place to call home and help them build a better life. We use positive youth development and trauma informed care approaches, and are incorporating Youth Thrive which stresses the importance of building relationships within the community, not just concrete supports and access to resources.

Anchor Link serves any youth under the age of 22 who is homeless, runaway, abandoned, abused, or at-risk of exploitation in Mercer County. Services are provided on the streets, at the drop-in center, in schools, in homes, at police stations, and in any convenient community location to help minimize a youth’s resistance.to accepting assistance. Anchor Link staff are available 24 hours per day 7 days a week to youth in crisis, and the program provides access to shelter services when youth are willing to leave the streets or need crisis intervention
The objectives of Anchor Link are 1) To provide outreach services that focus on establishing and building relationships between street youth and program staff in order to help youth accept services and leave the streets; 2) To provide comprehensive services with an asset based, trauma informed approach that include emergency shelter or alternative living arrangements, prevention education, crisis intervention, counseling, case management, transportation, survival aid, information, referrals and advocacy to runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of exploitation or sexual abuse; 3) To provide additional follow up support. Each objective has measurable outcomes that must be met.

The Connecting Youth Program helps youth ages 14-17 build a support system so they have life-long connections within the community. The program helps youth find family or people they consider as family, and mentors to help them transition into adulthood. Youth receive assistance in high school, help finding employment, planning a career and applying to college or vocational school. Connect to Home provides supportive housing through Housing Choice Vouchers

CoC Rapid Supportive Housing serves youth 18 to 24 years of age who are HUD eligible for supportive housing. The program provides rental assistance, case management, employment and educational assistance, life skills training and assistance with housing counseling and searches.

Coordinated Entry for Homeless Youth is located at the Trenton CEAS Center and serves homeless youth, ages 18 to 24 years of age. CEAS encourages all homeless youth to come to the Center to learn what resources are available to them. Our program conducts community and street outreach and offers housing assessment, crisis intervention and case management, and referrals to social service agencies.

Life Skills Program is provided for youth who are referred directly from the DCP&P. The program, led by a Youth Coach aims to improve social and emotional development, achieve self-sufficiency and interdependence and healthy lifestyles. The Youth Coach provides individual coaching on life skills topics such job skills, resume writing, career path, dating, healthy relationships, budgeting, applying to college and other topics of interest to them.

School Outreach provides individual and group counseling to students in middle and high schools in Mercer County. Recognizing the heavy toll that homelessness takes on students, Anchor House students receive support to remain in school and improve their well-being.

Anchor House offers individual counseling to clients across programs through an agency therapist. Youth are referred in and outside of the agency for specific mental health issues or for a higher level of care. All aspects of our services and programming are trauma informed and geared to maintaining healthy minds and relationships.Substance abuse counseling is also available.