I'm hoping to help Bloom House Youth Services upgrade their building to match the Fire Marshal's requirements to stay open. I volunteer at Bloom House and my sibling receives services there, so this is a very important charity in my life.

Bloom House is a Basic Center Program, meaning they offer emergency shelter and support services to homeless and runaway youth and any youth in need who may not have housing or are at-risk of losing it. Because they operate through federal grants and are not affiliated with a religious organization, they are one of the only places in Kansas with a Drop-In Center that is open to ALL youth in need, regardless of their beliefs or circumstances. Their free services include "trauma-informed art therapy and case management services, fiduciary services, referrals to other area resources, access to food, bathrooms and laundry facilities, a safe place to study, gather, learn life skills, have fun, and always - there are safe adults if you or someone you know needs to talk."

The clients they serve are runaway, homeless, and at-risk teens aged 13 to 17 in need of shelter or prevention services. They are trying to stop dangerous cycles and give youth the tools needed to be confident, self sufficient, community engaged adults. By stepping in early to help set them on a path of success, the likelihood these young people will experience homelessness as an adult is lowered.

These are some of the Drop-In Center spaces and the functions they serve:

Ace's Place is the Drop-In Center's main hang-out space. It is open 24/7 and is a warming center during the winter and a cooling center during the summer for people who are caught in the extreme temperatures. They can come in, cool down/warm up, get some coffee/water, charge their phones, and look for shelter or jobs or whatever else they need with the staff and volunteers to help them. It was named after Ace Garate, a local beloved teen who was known for welcoming anyone who needed a friend.

Grandma Shari's Kitchen is another welcoming space. Nobody left her house hungry, and the same is true here. Bloom House serves hot, homemade meals with every event because housing insecurity often goes along with food insecurity.

The dining room sees a several group art projects and homework assignments, D&D campaigns, a variety of board games, dinner, and youth advisory council meetings every week. The table can stretch out, making room for everyone who wants to join!

The DeForest Fish Art Therapy Room offers art supplies and space for youth to work through whatever is troubling them, to support family reunification and preservation, and to make lasting changes in their lives with the help of art therapists and therapy interns who are trained to handle trauma.

Friendly case managers are available to help youth identify barriers to housing and financial security. They advocate for school needs as well as help with life skills and give referrals to other programs if they can't help directly.

In addition to these support services, Bloom House has a total of 8 shelter beds for homeless and runaway youth. During their shelter stay, staff, volunteers, and interns work with the youth on the creation of an individualized case plan and connection to other area resources. Youth in shelter have access to the kitchens, laundry room, clothing closet, food pantry, and hygiene closet as needed. The bedrooms are cozy and comforting, and feel more like a home than a shelter space:

These are the older youth (age 16-17) rooms.

And these are the younger youth rooms (age 14-15).

The KS Fire Marshal requires the installation of a fire suppression and alarm system in the shelter for Bloom House to continue to serve youth in need in Kansas. Bloom House takes fire safety very seriously. They have a drop ladder for each room on the top floor and large egress windows and wall-affixed ladders up to them in the basement level rooms. There are smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in each room, and a fire extinguisher on each floor. Additionally, they do monthly fire drills and the youth in shelter are always under supervision with no open flames are allowed. However, they are also required to install a sprinkler system and fire alarm in the building to make Bloom House compliant with local fire code and DCF specifications.

This is crucial for Bloom House to be able to stay open and providing the best, safest, environment for the youth who need them. ANY donation helps!

The cost of this project is well over $100K, but they have been relentlessly raising funds all year and have about half of it fully funded now. At this point, I'm hoping to help them get the last $50K so they can focus their efforts on outreach and supporting the youth directly.

Every little bit helps. There are other ways to donate, and more information about the situation is available here. With just 10 Generous folks giving $5,000...or 50 giving $1,000...or 100 giving $500...or 1,000 giving $50! We can make this happen!