When 17-year-old Michael’s mother learned he was gay, she asked him to leave their home.
 
Michael wasn’t worried; his 19-year-old friend Peter had a boyfriend in his 50s who took care of Peter’s every need. That boyfriend had an older friend who would take Michael into his home.
 
Fortunately, Michael’s grandmother—who couldn’t take Michael in because her husband didn’t want a “faggot” living in his home—learned about the “older friend” and phoned Hope House. Thanks to that call, Hope House staff were able to unearth several young men being “cared for” by older men who were trading sex for housing and food.
 
Michael, like most youth at risk of sexual exploitation, entered Hope House reluctantly. However, through counseling sessions at Hope House with Michael’s case manager and the program manager, which focused on “who has choice,” Michael began to see that his friend Peter, who was homeless when he moved in with his older “boyfriend,” didn’t have many good choices, particularly if was going to complete high school.
 
Thanks to Hope House, Michael was afforded the time to explore which choices might be right for him. His other grandparents supported him, but they lived in Greater Minnesota, and he wanted to stay in the area with his friends. However, there were no local housing options.
 
Given these realities and keeping in mind Hope House’s goal of turning young people’s lives around by nurturing self-sufficiency and independence, with family reconciliation and reunification being achieved whenever possible, ​staff worked with Michael and his supportive grandparents on strengthening the trust between them. Hope House provided family counseling sessions by phone, as well as individual, in-person counseling for Michael.
 
With the help of these counseling sessions and daily assistance and encouragement from Hope House staff, Michael was able to tap into a newfound sense of self determination and ultimately come to the conclusion that—while it did mean leaving his friends and his high school—moving in with his grandparents was the right choice, as it provided him the support he needed to live a life where he could achieve his goals and continue to make healthy choices.
 
Hope House in an emergency shelter for homeless youth ages 14 – 19 serving Scott, Carver, and western Hennepin County.

www.180Degrees.org

Pete* was getting very worried. He had long anticipated his release from prison, and he had no desire to return.

Like many other men, Pete’s treatment plan stipulated that he find a job and a place to live—and if he didn’t complete those tasks during his 60 days at 180 Degrees’ Adult Residential Program, he would be immediately returned to prison.

Finding a job had been easy. By his second day in the program, Pete found work through a temp agency. Finding housing was a much more difficult task.

Pete’s job required that he work late into the night. He often returned to the residential facility after midnight, but each morning he was up at 8:00 AM making phone calls in an attempt to find housing. In a short time, Pete had applied at more than 50 apartments, but no one would give him a lease.

The senior manager of the Adult Residential Program was familiar with Pete’s situation; today’s tight rental market makes it very difficult for former convicts to find affordable housing.

The senior manager had watched Pete and knew the effort he had put into his housing search. The senior manager also knew Pete was an exemplary client who completed his chores, attended weekly groups, worked closely with his case manager, and abided by all program rules and expectations. He was cordial and professional with the other residents and never got into trouble.

A warm summer night. Hanging out with friends. Flashing lights and a ride in a squad car?

Sneaking out of the house to spend time with friends might seem like a typical—and even innocent—rite of passage for teenagers. However, a violation of city curfew laws can lead to a teenager’s first encounter with law enforcement. In St. Paul, that’s where 180 Degrees’ Youth Connection Center gets involved.
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The Youth Connection Center works with the St. Paul Police Department to keep kids safe. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights throughout the summer, youth who are out after curfew and get picked up by the police are brought to the Connection Center, rather than receiving a citation and getting entangled in the juvenile justice system.

Early encounters with law enforcement and detention can increase a young person’s likelihood of lifelong challenges with the law. The Connection Center intervenes before a minor violation like a late night out becomes something more serious. It’s a chance to share services and alternatives with kids and families. It also can act as a wake-up call.

In a recent article about the Connection Center in the Pioneer Press, Dan Pfarr, Executive Director at 180 Degrees, said, “We’re doing it from a positive framework, shifting from what the young people are used to, in terms of negative reinforcement—‘you do this or else’— to helping them find opportunities. We also know from studies that a disproportionate number of kids of color end up getting records for things like truancy and curfew violations and that can spiral out of control. It makes it harder for young people to get jobs, and they lose hope and become disengaged. So we’re really, really conscious of what we need to do to keep kids off paper, especially early.”

Once at the Connection Center, a youth worker meets with the young person, contacts their parents or guardian to pick them up, and ensures they get home safely. During the intake conversation, the youth worker asks what led the teenager to be out after curfew and how things are going at school and at home. If this conversation uncovers the need for additional support services, the youth worker lets both the youth and the parents know how to access programs ranging from stable housing services to chemical dependency treatment to college preparation.

The Connection Center is one way in which 180 Degrees supports youth and families to ensure a minor detour like a curfew violation doesn’t become a longer trip down a destructive path of repeated, negative interactions with law enforcement.
 
180 Degrees’ Youth Connection Center assists law enforcement throughout Ramsey County with low-level status offenders, providing an alternative to criminal charges.
​
www.180Degrees.org

The youth who come to 180 Degrees’ Von Wald Group Home in Rochester, Minn., have already experienced a lot—from violence or other trauma at home, to experience with the juvenile justice system. The supportive, structured environment of the group home is essential to developing the skills they will need to navigate the rest of their lives.
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Jae’s past is uniquely hers, but it is typical of the young people who come to Von Wald Group Home. Jae experienced violence at home and was a quick study; she learned to use violence to resolve her own conflicts, which led to a big incident—she assaulted her foster mother.

At Von Wald, Jae found people to support her through the ups and downs of everyday life. She developed coping skills and learned how to work through the hard days. And she wasn’t shy about acknowledging the staff let her know when she was out of line. After being at Von Wald for a few months, Jae began helping the younger and newer kids understand they were in a good place and the staff were there to support them.

A favorite activity of Von Wald residents—activities which include trips to the Y, visiting a nature center, and camping—is the indoor rock climbing at an area gym. On one of the rock climbing field trips, Jae conquered her fear of heights! It was no small accomplishment for her to reach the top of the climbing wall. Working through fears in a relatively safe setting is designed to help Jae face other day-to-day challenges life will bring her way.

The programming at Von Wald offers Jae and her fellow residents what kids have always needed: a safe environment, continuity, the opportunity to develop confidence and respect for themselves and others, and space to learn from their mistakes. From the initial intake assessment to completing their residency, the kids are given an appropriate degree of autonomy to work on certain aspects of their lives. Rick Sundberg, Von Wald Senior Program Manager, has noticed during his 30 years of working with youth that this approach supports engagement and builds decision-making skills. Youth learn to evaluate the benefits and consequences of their choices. They learn to persevere, just like Jae facing her fear of heights and climbing that wall.
 
180 Degrees’ Von Wald Group Home provides residential support services to youth ages 10 – 18 who are experiencing family conflict, behavior problems, school difficulties, or criminal activity.
 
www.180Degrees.org

For many years, Logan’s parents had struggled with chemical dependency issues, creating chaos and a lack of structure at home. Logan began failing his classes and skipping school. When he was 13, the county decided his parents’ home was not a safe place, and Logan was placed in a foster home through 180 Degrees.

For the first few months, Logan struggled to adapt to the rules and routines of his foster family. Over time, though, Logan began to develop trust in his foster parents. Logan enrolled in a new school to get a “fresh start.” To everyone’s surprise, he went from failing all of his classes to earning all A’s and B’s, with no unexcused absences. Logan was on a roll.

As a senior, Logan enrolled in the post-secondary education program at the local community college and earned college credits. He took an interest in nursing, which was the career of his foster parents, and eventually declared nursing as his college major. He applied for work and was thrilled to be offered part-time work at two local nursing homes.

As Logan completed his senior year, the county—following its standard process—encouraged Logan to leave the foster care setting and move out on his own. But his relationship with his foster family had grown so close that they invited him to remain in their home. Logan signed a voluntary placement agreement with the county, allowing him to remain in his foster home until the age of 21.

Logan continues to do well in college and has successfully maintained his two jobs. He has blossomed into a thriving young adult, and his relationship with the foster parents continues to grow. Logan hopes to complete his nursing degree by his 21st birthday.

There have been some struggles along the way, but both Logan and his foster parents agree the foster care placement has been very beneficial. Logan says he “wouldn't be where he is today” but for the love and support his foster family provide him.

There is no doubt that Logan’s placement positively impacted him in many ways, and the relationship with his foster family will continue long after Logan leaves their home.
​
Thank you to all of the 180 Degrees families that open their hearts and home to foster kids!
 
180 Degrees’ Foster Care Service is a Rochester-area network of licensed foster families serving 20 youth.
 
www.180Degrees.org

Can you imagine having experienced the trauma of being sex trafficked at the age of 14? Ava can.
 
Ava’s mother, Angel, kicked Ava out of the house when Ava was 13.
 
Smart, scared, and scrappy, Ava spent nearly a year on the streets and couch hopping. Without the guidance and love of caring adults, her choices were about survival.
 
Choosing survival sex for food and shelter sounds appalling or shocking. For Ava, it was a nearly invisible, gradual process. She hooked up with Jeremiah on the streets. Jeremiah gave her a place to stay, nice things, and told her he loved her and would take care of her. Ava felt safe. But safety turned into isolation, manipulation, coercion, and violence.  
 
A smart school social worker got Ava to Brittany’s Place. Others would have described Ava’s behaviors as hostile, mean, or even criminal, but the staff at Brittany’s Place understand the effects of trauma and the culture shock Ava was experiencing. When young girls like Ava arrive at Brittany’s Place, trust is the biggest hurdle to work through. There are rules and structure that simply don’t exist on the street.
 
Once Ava was a part of our community, she was able to benefit from:

• A mental health plan
• Legal aid support from the Youth Law Project
• On-site schooling with individualized attention
• Support groups
• Self-esteem and empowerment building activities

 
Young, smart, courageous Ava made huge strides to shed some of her street belligerence and become a girl learning to love herself.
 
Moving girls like Ava into a healthy place is always the goal. After months of hard work, Ava’s team found a foster family for Ava. After staying with the family for a “trial weekend,” Ava chose to remain with the family, saying, “It feels like a good home.” We are delighted to report Ava shared with us that she will be graduating from high school in May 2018.
 
It’s been a long, difficult, and painful journey for Ava. But she has chosen, as her in-shelter, self-created poster says, “to heal—not stay broken.”
 
Brittany’s Place is a program of 180 Degrees, and Ava is one of 1,200 young people 180 Degrees serves each year in pursuit of our mission to support individuals and families in overcoming barriers, transforming lives, and contributing to healthy, multicultural communities.
 
Brittany’s Place: A Safe Harbor Shelter serves girls ages 10 – 17 who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing sex trafficking or sexual exploitation.
 
www.180Degrees.org
​

Rose was the kind of student teachers dreaded. By the age of 8, she had assaulted two of her teachers, producing injuries that would have put her on juvenile probation if she had been older. Lucky for Rose, being under the age of 10 qualified her for the Ramsey County All Children Excel program, known as ACE.
​
180 Degrees, which provides case management for the ACE program, matched Rose with a case manager. The case manager focused on finding ways to support Rose and her family, reduce risk factors, and keep Rose from being put on juvenile probation.

The case manager first worked on building a relationship with Rose and on developing trust with Rose’s single mother. The case manager then turned her attention to the staff at Rose's school, finding ways to advocate for Rose when she was in school. At the same time, she sought ways for Rose to interact socially with others in a positive manner. This meant field trips with other ACE youth, circus tickets for her family, and joining a youth basketball league. The case manager also worked with Rose’s family to access mental health services.

By the age of 18, Rose had worked with her case manager for a total of 10 years—more than half her life. Over the years, both Rose and her mother had learned to trust and rely on the case manager. Rose called the case manager when she had difficult days at school, and Rose’s mother even joked that the case manager was like a “second parent” to Rose.

One of Rose’s personal goals had been to graduate from high school; her mother and siblings all completed high school by earning their GEDs, but Rose had her heart set on walking across the stage with full credits. This past June, through her own hard work and with the help of her “second parent,” Rose received her high school degree and got her first job. She has never committed another offense that would have landed her on juvenile probation. 

In an age of short-term fixes, the ACE program provides long-term relationships that help youth and families make real change and achieve their own goals. For Rose, the magic was in the trusting relationship she had with her case manager, which lasted far beyond one school year.
 
All Children Excel (ACE) Program provides long-term comprehensive case management
for Ramsey County youth ages 9 and under who have committed adult-level crimes.
 
www.180Degrees.org

It was a familiar Thanksgiving dinner. Several tables were pushed together to make one long table with room for everyone. The tables were covered with a white tablecloth; sure, it was just one long strip of white paper, but the image was right. There was a heaping platter of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds, sweet potatoes, and dinner rolls. And at the far end of the table, down near the desserts, was a tall pile of white plastic lids…but, I’ll get to that later.

Those sitting at this Thanksgiving table were not family, and they did not resemble each other at all. One girl had lived in the group home for 7 months and talked of how much she loved living there. She proudly shared that she was in Phase 3 and had just completed her first day back in a public school. She also had a new part-time job at Wendy’s and joked with the staff that she was going to come back and work at the shelter as soon as she was old enough. Another girl in a hijab gave her name but said nothing more. A newcomer to the group home, she stared straight ahead and made eye contact with no one.

These kids came to live in 180 Degree’s St. Cloud Group Home for reasons no young person should have to face—personal safety concerns, mental health issues in the family, physical or sexual abuse, lack of acceptance for gender-nonconformity, and anger management issues. Some kids can work things out with their parents and quickly return home; others stay for months.

The St. Cloud Group Home houses up to 12 boys and girls, aged 11 – 17. The staff use a clear system of rewards and privileges to ensure a safe, positive environment. The building provides a homey, functional, and humble home. Chairs are sturdy and nearly indestructible. Inspirational signs and posters decorate the walls. Staff are cheerful, firm, and unflappable; they see the best in teens who are often belligerent and sullen… hurting and in need of love.

And those plastic lids? A Thanksgiving meal for 12 youth, all of the shelter staff, and a few extra guests meant the staff had to be creative. Their kitchen had no extra plates for the pumpkin pie, bars, and cookies… so they looked in their tub of food containers, collected all of the round, white lids to use as dishware, and began to serve dessert.

This is what it’s like to be on the front line and provide a safe, nurturing place for teens who often are viewed as too broken and even disposable.

When you sit down at your own table this Thanksgiving with family and friends, remember…
 
…the youth who are in 180 Degrees’ shelter and group homes;
…the staff who spend time each day with kids who often have been abandoned by their own families;
…to share your own blessings, and
…that teetering pile of white, plastic lids.
 
 
180 Degrees’ St. Cloud Group Home provides residential support services to youth ages 10 – 18 who are experiencing family conflict, behavior problems, school difficulties, or criminal activity.
 
www.180Degrees.org

​For the young women at Brittany’s Place, it is nerve-wracking to move into a new home, share living space with other young women who are strangers, and be held to rules and a tight schedule. Meetings with social workers, classes at the on-site school, scheduled bedtimes, and chores are tough to get used to and critical to the healing process.
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While the responsibilities can be daunting, Brittany’s Place also emphasizes time to rest and recover, providing these young women the opportunity to envision their future and take the chance to make big changes in their young lives.

Art also helps lift spirits and takes the girls’ minds off the traumas they have experienced; it can jump start life changes. In addition to a weekly Art Therapy, the girls have access to colored pencils and markers, drawing paper, and coloring books. Everywhere you look, you find inspirational quotes, handmade posters, and collages that are reminders of the creativity, strength, and dreams of these young women.

Art and imagination are just some of the ways and means Brittany’s Place employs to help young women find refuge from those who try to manipulate or exploit them, giving them a chance to heal from abuse, nurture their self-esteem, and have a positive place to dream, even on rainy days.

You can help the girls at Brittany’s Place rest, recover, and dream the big dreams we want for all teens by making a donation today.

Brittany’s Place provides a safe and supportive environment that empowers girls and young women to achieve their goals and lead healthy lives.

www.180Degrees.org

At Brittany’s Place, we celebrate the whole child. We aim to empower young girls and women to be aware of their self-worth and to make healthy choices to ensure a successful and prosperous future. We meet our youth where they are and help them identify their strengths and their own sources of comfort. 
Each girl who comes to Brittany’s Place has a unique story, and staff are committed to meeting their needs—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

Maria, a youth counselor at Brittany’s Place, was recently asked by Rania, a 14-year-old girl, if she was allowed to practice her Muslim faith at the shelter. The staff, none of whom are Muslim, listened carefully to Rania’s request and asked questions. In short order, Maria purchased a prayer rug and a copy of the Koran and found a snug but comfortable space in the nurse’s exam room for Rania to use for prayer.

Now, three times each day, Rania can pray according to her lived faith, practice her religion freely, and draw upon her faith to help make positive choices, with the help of a staff members who support every aspect of her life.

You can help support the girls at Brittany’s Place and make possible more restoring stories like Rania’s by making a donation today.

Brittany’s Place provides a safe and supportive environment that empowers girls and young women to achieve their goals and lead healthy lives.

www.180degrees.org