for teens in crisis
As many as 2.8 million children run away* from home each year.
LSF Family Focus offer short-term, residential shelters for runaways, troubled youth and pregnant teens (under 18), as well as individual and family counseling. Our goal is to protect and house teens in crisis. The goal of shelters for runaway youth and children is to help reunite families, identify issues, and help resolve them. We also want to help young people remain out of the juvenile justice system through our prevention and intervention activities.
Life at home may be really difficult right now but you may want to continue going to school, and continue living your life as best you can. You don’t have to do it alone. Life on the street can be dangerous and put you at risk for some serious harm. At an LSF Youth Shelter we offer more than a warm meal and a place to sleep at night, we can help you find solutions to the issues you are facing at home. LSF offers shelter, food and help.
- Identify the problems causing you to run
- Be an intermediary to help the adults in your life understand why you ran away
- Work out an agreement outlining the conditions you needs to follow once returning home
- Discuss alternative living situations for you while problems get worked out
- Provide referrals to family therapists in your area
- Offer direction to a variety of resources to assist you with your problems
- Determine the next steps to deal with the problems you are running away from
- A free way to get home may be available if you want to return
Find a location near you.
LSF has an approximately 98% success rate of youth returning home to their families to rebuild their lives, following their stay at our shelters. LSF shelters are managed and run by staff trained to understand, work with, and advocate for teens in trouble. Youth often face challenging times that require guidance, that is why our team of Master’s-educated professionals and highly trained staff provide a full range of services for troubled youth, ages 10-17, including:
RESIDENTIAL
- Temporary live-in shelter
- Behavioral Management Program
- Family Counseling
- Individual Counseling
- Group Counseling
- Case Management
- Family Support
NON-RESIDENTIAL
- Screening and Assessment
- Counseling
- Intervention
- Case Management
- Aftercare/Follow-Up for 60 days (about 2 months)
“Here at Oasis (LSF Youth Shelter) I feel more free, more open. I’m happier. I’m smiling more. It is giving me an opportunity to fix myself. This is a place where you can let go of all your stress, and is full of support. All the staff will have your back 100%. Those words before that you couldn’t say to anybody would suddenly come out because you know that the people in this shelter are people you can trust.”
– Marc, Teen impacted by an LSF Youth Shelter
- Screening and Assignments: We begin by asking you a series of questions to help us gather information about the challenges the young person is facing
- Referrals: Trained professionals evaluate your concerns and will supply referrals to a suitable provider if necessary.
- Temporary Shelter: LSF offers temporary shelter and a safe place to stay until permanent arrangements can be made.
- Counseling (Link to CINS/FINS page): Counseling can help a young person with the tools to manage life’s toughest challenges. Master’s level and Licensed Therapists can work as intermediaries to help the family understand why the young person decided to run away, work out an agreement outlining the conditions they need to follow once they return home, and discuss alternative living situations for you while problems are solved.
- Case Management: beyond housing and counseling there may still be a need to coordinate referrals to other services as needed, like mental health services, primary care, community activities, mentoring programs, etc.
- Aftercare/Follow-Up for 60 days: After family reunification is achieved, we check back in to ensure things are going smoothly and ensure everyone is safe.
Making the decision to leave home is not an easy decision. If a child or youth you know is seeking shelter, they may have reached a breaking point. They simply cannot face another day of school bullying, parental abuse, stress, or hunger.
- 47% of children experience conflicts with parents or guardians at home.**
- 34% of runaways experienced sexual abuse at home (80% of those girls). **
- 43% of teens reported physical abuse as one of the main reasons they left home. **
Many people believe returning home is a simple process for teens but that is not always true. Most do not have a healthy home environment to return home to. More than 50% of young people who end up in shelters or experience homelessness ended up there because they may have been kicked out or their parents know they left the home. LGBTQIA+ children and youth are at especially elevated risk. 40% of all youth experiencing homelessness are members of that community. Some teens cannot return home to an abusive environment, or drug and alcohol issues at home. Helping a child or youth find a safe place can save their life.
Hands Of Mercy Everywhere, Inc. (H.O.M.E) provides residential accommodations as well as psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual care in a safe, secure, Christian environment for young women in the foster care system. These young women are between the ages of 13 and 17, may or may not be admitted with a sibling, may be pregnant and/or parenting and/or have a case plan goal to reunify with her child.
BROWARD COUNTY – Lippman Youth Shelter is able provide short term residential assistance to pregnant teens.
Safe Place Youth Shelter (Palm Beach County)
Did you know that in the state of Florida, by age 19, nearly half of young women in the foster care have been pregnant, compared to a fifth of their peers who are not in foster care? At least 30% of female foster youth who have been pregnant will experience a second pregnancy. Repetitive research consistently demonstrates the profound impact of adverse childhood experiences on various aspects of a child’s life. We can help.
LSF’s Hands of Mercy Everywhere can provide teen mothers and girls at risk of sex trafficking with needed resources, including education, parenting classes, life skills, career development, counseling and other means of evidenced-based programs and support as we lovingly transition them into adulthood and rebirth.
BROWARD COUNTY
Lippman Youth Shelter is able provide short term residential assistance to pregnant teens.
