Street Outreach Program
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Our Street Outreach Program (SOP) identifies and assists runaways, homeless, and street youth residing in Chatham County. Our staff works with the youth and local agencies to provide needed services.
SOP is an extension of Park Place Outreach Center (PPO) and is housed in the Dobransky Drop-In Center on the first floor of the Park Place facility. A critical component of the Outreach Program is the Drop-In Center, which operates in the afternoon/early evening to offer counseling services, enrichment opportunities, mentors, and basic essentials to youth in need.
The Street Outreach Program serves as a bridge between the community and the services PPO provide to homeless and/or runaway youth. SOP extends its services for young adults’ ages 11 to 21. Through the community outreach, we focus on building trustful and meaningful relationships between the SOP staff and youth. It is our goal to prevent the exploitation of youth living on the streets or in unsafe living conditions. SOP strives to increase the safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency of each youth we encounter. In the event we are unable to provide specific services a youth may need, we will refer them to various agencies we network with.
In conjunction to the services we provide, SOP goes out into the community and gives presentations on different social issues affecting the youth in our community. With the help of our peer mentors, we address the following topics; Human Trafficking, Bullying, Peer Pressure, Teen dating violence, Anger Management, STDS/HIV/AIDS awareness and much more.
The mobile unit of SOP identifies and engages with homeless youth or those who are at-risk for homelessness or human trafficking. The mobile unit delivers care packages that contain food and hygiene materials, as well information on safety and local resources.
Identified, age-eligible youth may be admitted into Park Place’s Basic Center program for temporary residential housing.