401 E. McMillan St
Cincinnati, OH 45206
Lighthouse Sheakley Center for Youth – Life Skills Training
Lighthouse Youth & Family Services’ mission is to empower young people and families to succeed through a continuum of care that promotes healing and growth. Lighthouse is a leader locally and nationally in its work with homeless youth. At the Sheakley Center for Youth’s 36-bed emergency shelter and resource center for homeless 18-24 year olds,Lighthouse helps ensure that the most vulnerable young adults in the community will have their basic needs met while giving them access to the supportive services they need to heal and grow. The support from the Dater Foundation allows Lighthouse to provide much-needed life skills training to those staying in the shelter. Life skills training helps young people achieve long-term independence by focusing on key areas such as money management/consumer awareness, food management, personal appearance, health, housekeeping, transportation, educational planning, job seeking skills, job maintenance skills, emergency and safety skills, knowledge of community resources, interpersonal skills, legal skills, and housing. Of the 233 youth who exited the shelter in 2020, 178 (76%) went to permanent housing destinations and 120 (52%) maintained or increased their total income from all sources while in the program.
A Lighthouse Success Story …
At the age of 17, Elijah was released from jail after serving two years. Six months later, at the age of 18, he was emancipated from the foster care system and was referred to Lighthouse Youth & Family Services after being unable to find a consistent place to live. When he first arrived at Lighthouse’s Sheakley Center for Youth, he had issues securing his first job and attending school regularly. He was also informed he was expecting his first child. Early on, Elijah had doubts about his abilities and felt extra pressure due to being a young father and homeless. The youth’s shelter case manager worked to connect Elijah with mental health services and first-time father programs, and he also assisted him with gaining full-time employment. The case manager was then able to work with Elijah to develop a work routine, form coping mechanisms, and establish positive support systems. He was also matched to the KEYS housing program, where he was connected with additional case management services for a longer amount of time. This youth is an extraordinary example of what it means to be resilient through unfavorable circumstances and work to provide a better life for one’s child(ren). Today, this young man is successfully living independently in the community due to his own hard work and the support of Lighthouse.
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