YAKIMA, Wash.- Rod’s House has broken ground on a new youth and young adult emergency home for people between the ages of 13 and 24 struggling with homelessness.
The groundbreaking ceremony happened on August 2 with board members and directors speaking to the community.
“Youth and young adults will be able to come in,” said Chon Marquez, Executive Director of Rod’s House. “They’re gonna be able to check themselves in, check themselves out. They’re gonna be able to stay for up to 120 days.”
The facility will offer 8 beds to 13–17-year-olds and 10 beds for young adults up to 24-year-old. The shelter will provide a kitchen and resources to help them get back on their feet.
“This shelter opening up will mean a lot to the youth who have nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep,” said Mickala King, Outreach Case Manager for Rod’s House. “They don’t have a pillow, a blanket, nothing and it will feel really great to have them call some place home.”
At the ceremony, King called back to her upbringing, where she worked through the Rod’s House system after being kicked out of her parents’ home.
“The staff was really inviting, and they cared a lot about me and what I wanted to do with my future, which was nothing at the time,” said King.
In the emergency homes, staff will help young persons connect to resources for education, employment and anything else they may need.
Marquez tells me the shelter will feature recreation areas for the patrons while also hosting the resources in house.
Construction is starting on Chestnut Avenue, just east of South Fair Avenue. With a curfew planned for residents, Rod’s House has already been welcomed by surrounding neighbors.
“Initially when we started, we went door to door asking like ‘hey we’re gonna build this thing here, the shelter,’ and they were very supportive,” said Marquez. “They said that young person’s deserve a place to be safe, a place to come home and not worry about what they’re gonna eat, where they’re gonna sleep. They’re gonna worry about their future here.”
The $6.2 million project is expected to open its doors in the summer of 2024.
