Youth Emergency Services, Inc.

Youth Emergency Services (YES) assists youth experiencing homelessness and near-homelessness by providing critically-needed resources which support them in their desire to be be self-sufficient.

YES' short-term goal is to equip homeless and at-risk youth with their basic needs and help them escape their crisis. YES locates youth in crisis, meets their immediate needs and then develops a trusting relationship with them. Staff work with youth to get them into stable, safe housing and encourage their participation in essential support services that will prevent their chronic homelessness.

YES' long-term goal is to end youth homelessness in the metropolitan area through prevention efforts designed to equip youth with the life skills and other resources needed to be self-sufficient.

For over 45 years, YES has offered a continuum of services for vulnerable youth, from meeting their immediate needs of shelter, food, and safety to teaching them essential life skills which empower them to become self-sufficient. To help these young people transform their lives, YES operates three key programs: the Street Outreach Center, the Emergency Shelter, and Housing Programs: Transitional Living Program, Maternity Home, and Rapid Rehousing.

The continuum of services offered by YES is based on the research on serving homeless and near homeless youth from the national Network for Youth and allows YES staff to address an immediate crisis and then connect youth with additional resources that help prevent homelessness and enable youth to become self-sufficient. Some key resources include:
• Rent assistance including funding for a deposit to get into housing, rent that is in arrears, utilities, application fees, or rent assistance for up to three months. This funding helps resolve an immediate issue that is preventing success in achieving stable housing and reduces trauma and the negative impact of an eviction on a youth’s record.
• Assistance to victims of human trafficking, through a partnership with the Women’s Center for Advancement. Services include crisis counseling, emergency or transitional housing support, education and employment support, legal services, and case management Youth who run away or are homeless are very vulnerable to traffickers.
• Assistance through the Job Readiness program offered at the Street Outreach Center that helps youth find and keep a job.

In 1974, recognizing the need for a safe place for homeless youth, community volunteers opened the "YES House", which is still in operation as the Emergency Shelter. YES added the Street Outreach Program in 1999 to find youth on the streets and to expand direct support services to them. Continuing to adapt, YES began the Transitional Living Program and Maternity Home in 2008, both of which help youth develop the practical life skills needed for adulthood. YES now serves over 1,000 youth annually and is the sole organization in the Omaha metro area focusing only on supporting runaway, homeless and nearly homeless youth ages 12-21. YES serves as a positive influence in these young lives that are at a crossroads, turning them from desperation to hope. YES envisions a community which understands and embraces its youth, creating an environment where youth homelessness no longer exists.

YES is nationally recognized for its work, being one of eleven agencies selected for three different national projects funded by the Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, studying program sustainability. YES' Transitional Living Program is one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation. YES has been featured at national and local conferences.

YES is a Best Practices Partner as recognized by the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands by adopting their Guidelines and Principles for Nonprofit Excellence in Nebraska and Iowa. In 2015 YES was awarded the Catalyst Award for Nonprofit Sustainability by the Nonprofit Association of the Midlands. YES is a Four Star Charity as rated by Charity Navigator. Only 25% of rated organizations in the country achieve this distinction. According to the National Network for Youth (NN4Y), the leading national advocacy group for homeless youth, the basic building blocks of an effective safety net for runaway and homeless youth include outreach, drop-in centers, shelters and youth-appropriate housing. With its full spectrum of services encompassing each of those building blocks, YES is uniquely qualified to provide that safety net to Omaha area youth in crisis. YES meets youth where they are and offers individualized services to address their specific and unique needs.

In fiscal year 2019-2020, the Street Outreach Center (SOC) program assisted 1,122 unduplicated youth through a variety of services available to help including: rent assistance -- funding for a deposit, rent that is in arrears, utilities, application fees, or rent assistance for up to three months -- which helps resolve an immediate issue that is preventing success in achieving stable housing and helps reduce trauma and the negative impact of an eviction on a youth’s record; assistance to victims of sex trafficking, through a partnership with the Women’s Center for Advancement including crisis counseling, emergency or transitional housing support, education and employment support, and legal services; and help through the Job Readiness program that covers essential job information and skills and helps youth find and keep employment.

YES’ Street Outreach Center is the only daytime, drop-in resource center for youth ages 12 – 21 who experience homelessness or near-homelessness in the Omaha metro area. Some housing services are available to young people up to 24 years of age. At the Center, youth find a safe place with access to crisis intervention, a hot meal, shower, laundry facilities, pantry, a VNA nurse for physical health needs, a mental health therapist contracted through Lutheran Family Services, computers, ID procurement, and other assistance previously listed.

The Emergency Shelter program provided an immediate, safe place for 58 youth. The average length of stay last fiscal year was 21 days. Upon discharge, 65% of emergency shelter residents went to known safe and stable housing. For 27% housing circumstances were not disclosed. The Shelter consistently runs at capacity and is a family-style residence with six bedrooms and divided sleeping areas for male and female guests. Youth share meals, television and computer privileges, recreation supplies, and laundry facilities. Staff coordinate services and treatment for youth, including support from social workers, therapists, nurses, and teachers.

The Transitional Living program offers apartment-style living for youth ages 16 – 21 for up to 18 months. Last fiscal year, 32 young people were assisted through this program. The average age of youth in this program was 19 years old. Youth in this program work closely with transition advocates to set and accomplish goals that empower them to be self-sufficient. Youth must go to school or work and perform community service, learn life skills, and set personal, educational and employment goals.

The Maternity Home supported 13 mothers and 12 children last fiscal year and is Omaha's only home for pregnant or parenting young women experiencing homelessness, ages 16-21. This is an essential program for vulnerable young mothers and their children.