Wilmette-based nonprofit Haven Youth and Family Services offers nearby areas a variety of services promoting mental health and wellness, such as clinical services, a crisis intervention housing program and drop-in centers.
The organization also offers the Illinois Youth Investment Program, which expanded to Evanston in July, according to program case manager Sydney Brock.
The program, grant-funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services, works to pair at-risk 16- to 24-year-olds with local businesses for employment and provides career advising, social and emotional support and more.
“It’s definitely been a lot of grassroots outreach operations,” Brock said. “So really connecting with local businesses, and then individuals getting into the high schools and connecting with other social service organizations.”
Brock added that the Youth Job Center has been a good resource since IYIP expanded to Evanston.
According to executive director Charley Smith, Haven can provide businesses with up to 75% of salaries for youth. The hope is that after nine months, the employers will continue to keep participants as employees.
Before expanding IYIP, Haven felt that certain areas of Evanston were underserved. The city could benefit from some of Haven’s services like the drop-in centers, which are currently only located in Wilmette and Winnetka, Smith said.
Haven is able to provide free support to those who could not have afforded it otherwise, Smith said.
“We may have 10, 12 people that are coming into our office, and all their therapy services are free,” Smith said. “There are a lot of private practices in Evanston, but we really feel that this is kind of a new, unique setup where you can come in with prevention needs, like drop-in, and then if it evolves into needing more intervention and treatment, we have everything in place to continue that process.”
Smith emphasized that in addition to serving at-risk youth, Haven Youth and Family Services focuses on uplifting the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2023, The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People found that 41% of LGBTQ young people seriously considered suicide, and 58% of LGBTQ young people who wanted mental health care couldn’t get it.
Crisis coordinator Jordan Colonna, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, spoke highly of Haven’s work with LGBTQ+ youth.
“I know that (the employment program) focuses on including the LGBTQ population,” Colonna said. “And then we also have our drop-in centers, which, again, that’s for all youth, but really tries to encourage inclusivity and peer-to-peer connection, which I think is great, especially for queer youth who might feel ostracized by their peers or just disconnected from their peers because of their identity.”
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