[RAYS Youth Services] Shining a Light on RAYS Youth Services: Supporting Youth, Teens, and Families Across Wisconsin
November 7, 2024
This November is National Runaway and Homeless Youth Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the staggering numbers of homeless and runaway youth in our state and across the country. According to the National Runaway Safeline, it’s “estimated that 4.2 million young people, ages 13 to 25, experience some form of homelessness each year in the United States, with considerably more young people experiencing crises that put them at risk of facing similar housing insecurity.” Over the last school year, 18,455 students were identified as experiencing homelessness in school districts across Wisconsin, and unfortunately, these numbers are not decreasing by the year.
It’s important to recognize programs like RAYS Youth Services that are making a powerful impact on the lives of countless youth in Northeast and Northcentral Wisconsin. Run by Foundations Health & Wholeness, RAYS is a program that offers critical education, support, and resources to young people, helping to prevent youth homelessness and decisions to run away, and providing compassionate intervention when crisis strikes.
What RAYS Youth Services Offers
RAYS Youth Services is dedicated to the well-being of youth ages school-age through 21, offering a range of support options at no cost to participants. RAYS also offers support to families through their Family Navigation program, ensuring that families have the resources they need to thrive. Their services cover essential needs through crisis prevention, street outreach, education and skill development, family support, and short-term housing via their Host Home Network.
- Crisis Prevention and Outreach: RAYS actively reaches out to youth and teens in schools, parks, libraries, and other youth-friendly spaces, distributing essentials like hygiene kits and school supplies marked with contact information, ensuring young people know where to turn in emergencies or when they need support. The team also partners with local schools and other community entities to educate the community on key issues such as human trafficking, as well as providing presentations and programming for youth to help them develop skills that cultivate a healthy lifestyle and positive choices, such as maintaining healthy relationships.
- Intervention Services: For those experiencing housing/food instability or contemplating running away, RAYS provides immediate support, offering items like food and hygiene products, along with referrals to housing resources. They work with local law enforcement and school systems to track and respond to runaway cases, coordinating with families to safely reunite them whenever possible. RAYS also helps with transportation, school supply needs, and meeting a variety of other basic needs to help youth stay healthy and safe.
- Family Navigation and Host Homes for Temporary Housing: Through the Family Navigation program, RAYS offers families personalized support and resources to help young people stay safe at home. Their Host Home network partners with licensed foster families through Foundations’ Foster Care Program to give youth a safe place to stay temporarily, bridging them to stability.
Making a Real Difference in Youth Lives
Through these comprehensive services, RAYS works to help ensure youth have safe, stable housing, develop essential life skills, and foster healthy relationships, laying the groundwork for a successful transition into adulthood. This month, as we focus on raising awareness about runaway and homeless youth, RAYS reminds us of all of the importance of supporting young people in our communities to ensure they have bright futures.
Here is an example of the real impact RAYS is having on Wisconsin youth.
POSITIVE IMPACT IN THE LIFE OF A YOUTH: A STORY
The RAYS 24/7 Helpline received a call from a mother seeking help for her son, who had recently been exhibiting concerning behaviors. Our Brown County Coordinator connected with her, learning more about the family’s situation and the challenges they were facing. Through these conversations, RAYS staff uncovered a history of significant trauma and change affecting this child and his family in recent years.
The mother had endured an abusive relationship, which led to her two children being temporarily removed from her care and placed in foster care. Following parenting classes and support, her children were returned to her, but the challenges continued. Her abusive partner passed away unexpectedly, and she relocated to a new state with her boyfriend, whom she later married. Together, they had a baby who is now ten months old. However, the mother’s eldest son began displaying increasingly dangerous and aggressive behaviors toward his younger siblings, his mother, and his stepfather. His struggles in school also worsened, leading to frequent suspensions.
RAYS staff worked closely with the family, helping the parents set up incentive programs and teaching them strategies around positive reinforcement, behavior modification, and relationship-building with the child and his siblings. While these approaches had some success, follow-up visits revealed that the child’s needs went beyond what RAYS could provide. In response, the RAYS Coordinator initiated a warm handoff to Foundations’ counseling team.
With the mother’s permission, RAYS staff shared the family’s history, previous interventions, and ongoing concerns with the new therapist. This background enabled the therapist to approach the family’s unique needs with understanding from the start. Since beginning therapy, both the child and his parents have shown significant improvements in managing emotions, controlling impulses, processing trauma, and handling daily challenges. They are on the road to thriving!
How You Can Support RAYS Youth Services
RAYS Youth Services depends on the support of the community to continue its impactful work with vulnerable youth. By contributing, you’re helping to provide essentials like food, hygiene supplies, and safe temporary housing, along with resources for youth education and crisis intervention. Here are some ways you can support RAYS:
- Make a Donation: Your contributions help fund essential items like care packages, transportation, educational programming, and outreach materials, all of which ensure that youth in crisis have the support they need.
- Spread Awareness: Help shine a light on issues faced by runaway and homeless youth by sharing RAYS’ mission with friends, family, and colleagues.
Your support is a vital part of ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to thrive. To make a donation or explore other ways to support our programming at Foundations, including the impactful work of RAYS Youth Services, visit Foundations Health & Wholeness’s Support Page. Together, we can empower youth, prevent homelessness, and create a more compassionate, connected community.
Reviewed by: Jackie Baumgart, Director of RAYS Youth Services
Sources:
https://www.1800runaway.org/prevention-education/data-reports
https://dpi.wi.gov/news/dpi-connected/what-students-experiencing-homelessness-need-you-know
