Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter Receives $10,000 Grant from Bank of America Charitable Foundation
12/4/2012 | ||||
Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter Receives $10,000 Grant from Bank of America Charitable Foundation SDN Staff Report Dec. 4, 2012 – Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter, a temporary shelter and outreach service that serves youth from Savannah and the surrounding area, has received a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Linda Hilts, Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter’s Executive Director, said the shelter will use the grant to cover operational costs. Since opening its doors in 1984, Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter has accommodated 6,000 youth who have left home. “Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter’s services are in great demand in the Savannah area,” Hilts said. “The generous Bank of America Charitable Foundation grant will enable us to serve a greater number of at-risk youth in the area.” “As part of our comprehensive lending, investing and giving activities to advance economic opportunity in the communities we serve, Bank of America is addressing critical issues that will help revitalize our neighborhoods,” said Steven Price, Savannah market president for Bank of America. “We know that the challenges facing our communities are great, and it is through partnerships like the one with Park Place Outreach that we can create positive change for youth in our area.” According to the Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless, the Savannah area has the second largest homeless population in the state. In 2011, the area’s homeless population was 4,202, 774 of whom were children under the age of 18. The Savannah area also struggles with poverty. In 2011, 26.8 percent of children in the area lived in poverty. “A great number of youth that we serve have been homeless or have grown up in poverty,” Hilts said. “Because of the economy, individual contributions have been slower than usual. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation grant will enable Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter to continue to provide direct services for these kids and others who are at risk.” |