The Youth Shelter is a 24 hour emergency placement for youth ages 5 to 17 years of age. We are licensed to provide care for up to 30 youth. The youth that come to the shelter are in care of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS). These youth come from settings in which they were homeless, experienced physical/sexual abuse, physical/medical neglect, and/or exploitation. Once at the shelter, the main focus is to provide these youth with a safe and secure environment. Shelter staff schedule medical, dental, eye, psychiatric, and other appointments relevant to the youth’s needs. The youth attend schools within Amarillo Independent School District (AISD) to meet their education requirements. We also have AISD tutors come to the shelter to extend supplemental instruction to help those youth that are struggling in the different school subjects.

 

Due to the varying issues that brought the youth to the shelter, they may experience behaviors of depression, anger, physical aggression, and self harm, to name a few. To help the youth through this transition we have a counseling team that comes to the shelter twice a week to meet with the youth. These counselors work with the youth the entire time of their placement at the shelter. Other programs are introduced to the youth in the form of groups which are conducted by different agencies in the community. Some of the curriculum addressed include: anger management skills, preparation for adult living, parenting classes, tips on making healthy choices, self esteem boosting, communication skills, and additional skills that may be individual to the youth.

 

The staff at the shelter consists of a shelter administrator, assistant to the administrator, a full and part time cook, and direct care staff. They have experience in many different backgrounds which aid in the interactions they have with the youth. We work with the youth to assist them in problem solving, accountability, and just being the support factor they need to be effective in their attempts at accepting the world around them. These staff/child interactions are reason for growth, understanding, and a way for these youth to learn the aspect of what healthy relationships are.