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** For immediate release ** January 2, 2020 St. Paul, Minnesota Services for homeless young adults are taking on a new look.
Beginning in January, 2020 180 Degrees and non-profit Onward Eden Prairie will begin a new partnership providing housing and case management services for adults, ages 18-22 who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. "This partnership brings together expertise from two organizations to address the growing need for housing for young adults in crisis," said Dan Pfarr, CEO of 180 Degrees. Volunteer-led Onward Eden Prairie, launched in October 2017, identified the need for services in Eden Prairie for young adults who were transitioning out of homeless, foster care, or at risk for homelessness. The founders included a collaboration of community, social service, faith-based, and government organizations. Onward Eden Prairie secured and now maintains a fully-furnished single family home which houses up to four adults in independent units. With the partnership, 180 Degrees will provide all programming and staffing, drawing on the agency's 50-year history providing trauma-informed, strength-based, culturally-relevant care. Residents at the home will have access to strength-base support groups, case management services, and connections to community resources. "Our goal is to empower these young adults to attain long-term stability in housing, education, and employment, " said Pfarr. "Employing the resources of two organizations to address homelessness will increase our responsiveness to the needs in the community."
With a career spanning twenty-five years, McRoy received the Friends of Youth Leadership Award for her exceptional leadership and tireless commitment to helping youth overcome barriers of poverty and racism. At Brittany’s Place, McRoy sees to it that the girls who the victims of the worst possible trauma have a safe place to stay and trauma-informed services to help heal physical and emotional wounds.
The FBI has identified the Twin Cities as one of the nation’s largest centers for sex trafficking of youth. Now in its fifth year of operation, Brittany’s Place provides shelter, services, and programming to over 100 girls each year, with half coming from the metro area and the remaining half from around the state. Under McRoy’s leadership, Brittany’s Place has evolved from a program ready to be shuttered because of high costs to one of financial stability. Implementing cultural change including staffing and programming, McRoy proudly reports the program is now serving more youth and delivering better outcomes. “I’m deeply honored to receive this award. It’s a capstone of my career,” said Mary McRoy. “I’m also grateful to those who encouraged me to continue to take on new challenges,” she added. “Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a big deal,” said Paul Meunier, Executive Director of the Youth Intervention Programs Associations (YIPA). “We know that everyone who devotes their career to helping vulnerable youth is a superstar, but Hall of Fame members stand out as exceptional people we should try to emulate.” Brittany’s Place is a program of 180 Degrees, a multi-cultural social service agency founded in 1971. McRoy is 180 Degrees’ second team member to be inducted into the Youth Intervention Hall of Fame, joining 180 Degrees’ Chief Executive Officer Dan Pfarr. FOR MORE INFO: CONTACT: Janet Hallaway [email protected] |
