Y.E.S. to Christmas!
Every year Y.E.S. works to provide Christmas Presents to homeless and at risk kids in Pend Oreille County. Last year we provided Christmas for over 250 kids and for the first time in our history, every tag was adopted by a community member. This year we have a goal to repeat this and to expand outreach to those we did not serve. Tags should be available for pick up in our office by November 20, 2017. Call 509-447-1125 for more information

Giving Tuesday is a day when people around the world come together to give back. As the movement continues to grow in the U.S., countries around the world are leading their own #GivingTuesday movements by creating their own initiatives to encourage giving in their communities. Join with Y.E.S. in giving homeless youth a safe, stable home and future

INTRODUCING DONNA!
Donna comes to Y.E.S. with a diverse background in Corporate America and most recently as an Elementary School Teacher. Donna has been heavily involved in Prevention for Pend Oreille County for over four years and currently serves as the Chair for the Panther County Coalition in the Usk/Cusick areas. She has served the county well by assisting in forming partnerships to provide drug free, family friendly community events, education classes and evidenced based trainings. Donna has a long standing reputation for working with at risk children and youth. She has three children, a dog and cat. Enjoys reading and hiking. Donna is excited about the opportunity to serve the youth of our community!

FALL NEWSLETTER
As of June 30, 2017, Y.E.S. has a caseload of 76 youth and young adults with 50 of them being female. Between April 1 and June 30, 2017, Y.E.S. completed 118 street outreach and case management sessions, accessing students in the schools and in the community as a result of a referral. Y.E.S. is proud to report that we had 11 youth graduate this year, 2 joined the military, 1 the forest services, and 3 have joined the workforce in various trade positions.
I am continually amazed by the financial support we receive in the community. People continue to see the value we provide and are generous with their donations. During this period, we received two large donations from anonymous funders, one was for $5000.00, and another for $10,000.00. We also received over $4600.00 in three-months from various community members and organizations, including $1000.00 from a local doctor. Y.E.S. also receive substantial support from the community in the form of in-kind donations. We receive donations like gently used clothing, toiletries, blankets, and pillow. This period we received over $10,000 worth of donated items.

​Who We Serve
Y.E.S. kids come from all walks of life and are with us for a variety of reasons. Some live in homes that are unsafe and riddled with drugs and others are
kicked out because they are different from their parents. One young man was referred around the middle of April by the school. He had been living in his car since mid-December and was able to keep his homelessness from the school for many months. His father had been caring for him at their family home but recently had some mental health issues and disappeared, leaving this 17-year-old with no money or family support. The school was able to identify him after it became obvious that he was not going to graduate and the homelessness had started to affect his mental
health. Y.E.S. was able to connect him with a Host Home and he was enrolled in the River School to catch up with his classes. When he came to us, he had two pairs of pants and a few t-shirts, all of which were filthy. We set him up with clothing, basic needs and case management to help him reach his goals. In the Host Home program, he flourished and was able to graduate on time. He came back to visit us a few weeks after graduation to say goodbye. He had accepted a job working on a fishing boat and had reconnected with a long lost uncle. These are the youth we serve! Without YES this boy may not have graduated and could have easily ended up on the streets in Spokane.


HOST HOMES
“In 2016, 30 unaccompanied homeless youth were identified in Pend Oreille County, WA” (Office of Homeless Youth). The Y.E.S. Host Home Program provides safe housing to these individuals as well as other youth living in unsafe or unstable situations. Youth in need of housing are placed in emergency, short term and long term housing dependent on their current living situation.
The Host Home program is currently seeking caring community members throughout Pend Oreille County to provide housing to our counties homeless and at risk-youth. Training is provided!
Contact 509-447-1125 for more information.


What are our Challenges?
Keeping quality staff -As a small non-profit in a rural area it is next to impossible to attract quality staff and once we find someone they inevitably leave for jobs in Spokane, with better pay and offer medical insurance. As of June 30, we are down one case manager and hope to hire in the fall.
Navigating the changing definitions of homelessness- the definition for homeless is different depending on the funder. HUD qualifies homeless as someone who is either without a roof over their head or one living in substandard housing, where the McKinney Vento Act says that families that are doubled up are considered homeless. Restrictions on funding based on definitions is a barrier especially when we have a large population of homeless who are over the age of 18 and youth living in camping trailers.
Funding is always uncertain – Although we work with our community for donations and are constantly seeking grants the world of a small non-profit is continually changing and funding sources come and go. We are able to project out for 6 months of operating funds but depending on grants may face tough decisions around the first of the year. The counties continued support of the mission is critical to our survival and we are grateful.

INTRODUCING DONNA!
Donna comes to Y.E.S. with a diverse background in Corporate America and most recently as an Elementary School Teacher. Donna has been heavily involved in Prevention for Pend Oreille County for over four years and currently serves as the Chair for the Panther County Coalition in the Usk/Cusick areas. She has served the county well by assisting in forming partnerships to provide drug free, family friendly community events, education classes and evidenced based trainings. Donna has a long standing reputation for working with at risk children and youth. She has three children, a dog and cat. Enjoys reading and hiking. Donna is excited about the opportunity to serve the youth of our community!

Quarterly Report September 30, 2017
 
Mission Statement
The mission of Youth Emergency Services is to support children & teens in making choices that will help them find and keep safe living conditions. Y.E.S. is committed to sup-porting young people in their efforts to remain at home or to find alternative homes where they can grow and thrive. Y.E.S. believes that every person has the right to be loved, respected and to live in an environment that is free from violence, drugs, abuse, and other harmful behaviors.

Overview
 
Youth Emergency Services has been serving Pend Oreille County for nearly 10 years providing assistance for Homeless and At-Risk youth. YES is the only homeless youth program providing services to rural areas in Eastern Washington. Youth residing in counties not providing these services are forced to leave their communities and support systems in order to seek help in Spokane or other large cities. We are proud of the legacy we have built and will continue to grow over the next decade.
Drop In Center
As a drop in center, we serve any youth and young adults who walks in the doors needing help outside of case management. They come in for a bottle of shampoo, hot meal or a pair of clean socks. During this quarter, we had 406 occurrences of youth accessing the building.
Once youth reports:
Demographics
 
As of September 30, 2017, YES has a caseload of 91 youth and young adults with 16 being high needs cases. Between July 1, 2017 through Sept 30, 2017, YES completed 28 street outreach and case management sessions, accessing students in the schools and in the community because of a referral.
 
Community Support
I am continually amazed by the financial support we receive in the community. People continue to see the value we provide and are generous with their donations. During this period we received $7281.66 in three-months from various community members and organizations. YES also receive substantial support from the community in the form of in-kind donations. We receive donations like gently used clothing, toiletries, blankets, and pillow. This period we received over $8200 worth of donated items.
Who We Serve
YES kids come from all walks of life and are with us for a variety of reasons. Some live in homes that are unsafe and riddled with drugs and others are kicked out because they are different from their parents. One girl, Carrie, came to us in the middle of the summer. She was living in her car and in various campgrounds. Carrie had been living with a relative in the area when she was kicked out over a disagreement yet she still needed to complete her education. She had spent many months in this situation until one of our volunteers convinced her to come talk to us. Y.E.S. provided camping gear, clothing, food, and personal hygiene items to get her though until a host home could be found. She meet with a case manager to assess what her needs were emotionally and physically and a plan was made to help her get ready for school. Carrie wanted to remain in the area where she had support from friends and the school. She is now with a host family, attending school, and looking for work. Carrie has been in several times over the past few months volunteering and visiting. She is doing so well and we are so grateful to the Amazing Host Home who took her in and gave her a chance!!
Host Home Program
The Office of Homeless Youth completed a report on the best practices for Host Homes in the State of Washington. Y.E.S. the longest running Host Home program in the state.  (See attached report)         
Kim Gentle, Former Board Chair, had this to say after reading the report:
I was bubbling over with pride as I read this report.  This report also makes it clear that people are watching YES as a leader of host home services.  As a host home provider, my heart was overwhelmed by the survey section with the young adults as they responded openly and honestly to the impact a host home program has on them.  I even cried when the survey asked “What does an ideal, safe host home look like to you?” – the last response humbly stated “a place to sleep – that is it”.
 

 
 
 
·       In
 
 
Other Notables
 
·       In partnership with Family Crisis Network, WSU, Newport PTO and Real Life Ministries we assured that every youth in Pend Oreille County went to school with new shoes and school supplies. 
·       We assisted Stevens and Ferry County with starting a Homeless Youth Program in those Counties. We will continue to offer training and technical assistance as well as sharing resources to expand services within the tri-counties.
Looking Ahead
·       Leading a Tri-county effort to end youth homelessness and prevent dependent youth from exiting Foster Care and other state systems into homelessness.
·       Independent Living Skills Training Program
1.     Six to Seven week series focusing on youth gaining skills to live independently.            
a.      How to Make a meal on budget / How to grocery shop/ Healthy meal plans
b.     How to do laundry/ Sewing on a button/Remove stains
c.      How to accepting Feedback gracefully/Communication/Apologizing sincerely/Public speaking / Conflict resolution
d.     How to prioritize/ Time management
e.      How to stick to a budget/ balancing a check book/loans/Credit (STCU)
f.      How to Dress appropriately for a job interview/ how to tie a tie/ Making good first impressions/ importance of passing a drug test for work
·       Host Home Parent Training
o   Y.E.S. has developed a professional training program designed to equip a host home parent with the skills needed to host a youth in their home.
·       Host Home Replicable Program Developed-
o   YES is creating a professionally published program that can be sold to other communities either with our consulting services or alone with Training and Technical Assistance.
Thank-you for your continued support and as always please reach out if you ever have any questions,
 
Program Director
Youth Emergency Services
316 W. 2nd St
Newport, WA 99156
m. 509-999-9321
o. 509-447-1125
martinayeskids@outlook.com

Y.E.S. has recently enrolled in the Amazon Smile program. The Amazon Smile program will send .05% of all eligible purchases to the Y.E.S. program. To sign up for Amazon Smile, click here. Thank you for your support!

​Shop at Fred Meyer and Earn Points for Y.E.S.!
​
Send your reward points from shopping to the Y.E.S. program by going to the community rewards website and enter the code 81163. This will help Y.E.S. get deals on purchases.

Nonprofit Homeless Teen Program Announces New Program Director
Newport, Washington, 9/21/2016
Youth Emergency Services (Y.E.S.), a non-profit organization serving homeless youth of Pend Oreille County since 2006, has announced the selection of Martina Coordes, as its new program director.  Martina will fill the vacancy created by Judi Lee’s retirement this fall. The selection was made after a regional search and selection process.
“We are very pleased to announce our selection for our new Program Director,” reported Kimberly Gentle, currently the Director of Power and Risk Management at the PUD and Y.E.S. Board Chair.  “Martina will bring leadership and creativity to the Y.E.S. programs and a deep sense of commitment to our region’s youth.  She has a demonstrated commitment to the community of Pend Oreille County and Martina has the experience and energy to insure that Y.E.S. continues to be seen as an industry leader for providing street youth services in rural America.”
Martina’s resume includes over 10 years working with youth in Pend Oreille County. She holds a Master of Business from Eastern Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Developmental Psychology, giving her a well-rounded educational background with both a head for business and the heart for community service.
“I look forward to continuing to serve and partner with the community in this new capacity,” remarks Martina. “I have had the great privilege to work with Y.E.S. on many projects and have seen the impact the program has made on the youth they serve. I am impressed by the scope of services that are provided and am excited to be a part of this program during this time of expected growth and expansion.”
Youth Emergency Services would like to thank Judi Lee for her many years of services to the community and the youth of Pend Oreille County. Her servant leadership has been the catalyst to change for hundreds of youth and her mark on this community will forever be felt.
“The Y.E.S. board is sincerely grateful for all she has given to the youth of Pend Oreille county and we wish her all the luck in her Retirement. Thank-you Judi, We will miss you dearly!” says Kimberly Gentle.
Youth Emergency Services (Y.E.S.) is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization providing services to homeless youth in Pend Oreille County for over nine (9) years. Y.E.S. supports teens in making choices that will help them find and keep safe living conditions. Y.E.S. is committed to supporting young people in their efforts to remain at home or to find alternative homes where they can grow and thrive. Y.E.S. believes that every person has the right to be loved, respected and live in an environment that is free from violence, drugs, abuse and other harmful behaviors.
Youth Emergency Services has an ambitious plan to expand over the next five years and has hired two case managers to work with the youth in their communities. The program anticipates that we will serve 135 youth this year.

Quarterly Report: January 1, 2016- March 31, 2016
We continue to see an overall increase of youth being referred for services during this reporting period. One identifiable source is the availability of a case manager located in Ione 3 days a week to serve the youth. Katie Parnell, YES Case Manager, has established a working relationship with our North County services and the school system. We have always felt that our north county youth have been under served due to budget constraints and travel, unfortunately we are transitioning again to limited services as YES will loose Katie’s position the end of May when we exhaust the grant cycle she occupied. We are diligently seeking additional funding from grants/foundations & fundraisers to retain Katie and services in north Pend Oreille County.
With the development of a new agency to serve Homeless Youth and Adults we are still awaiting clarification of the role of non-profits currently serving the homeless youth. House Bill 2440 signed during the last legislative session directs the Department of Commerce to create a new agency to oversee the HB and implement a program. A state wide landscape is being prepared with specific county demographics on homelessness and services available in each of the counties concluding with a report to the Department of Commerce hopefully by the end of May 2016 with recommendations on funding and services. YES continues to share the data we have collected and identifiable factors of homelessness of our youth.
Our next quarter of services will be a challenge as we conclude the administration of three grants; INWCF, Rapid Response and POVF. Combined they will effect our Ione Case Manager, Medical Mileage, Over the counter drugs, Administrative support hours and case management mileage. Fund raising will also be effected as our community opportunities change. The Lavender Festival allowed us the opportunity to educate participants about our youth and their unmet needs, a venue that will be missed as well as the PUD truck wash that allowed the youth to wash their trucks and earn money for the YES school funds. Both opportunities will be difficult to replace and are primary issues for the YES Volunteers committee members. Currently we are planning on a Yard Sale with the community 5 Mile Sale the first weekend of May. YES will have a booth at the Rodeo this year serving refreshments/food; (still being determined), and hopefully during the Bull-o-rama and wild stock event during the summer. We continue to research opportunities for fund raising, grants and foundations.
We continued this quarter with zero placements in Martin Hall.
Two CHINS petitions were granted during this reporting period and services for the families to reunite were arranged. One Youth at Risk was ordered with one being dismissed. Three runaway girls, unrelated, were returned to Idaho. Two of the girls were referred to YES from ER at Newport Hospital. Both had consumed unknown amounts of alcohol and possible drugs. Follow up referrals were made to services in their perspective areas of residency. Each of these girls were returned to the custody of their parents who provided the transportation.
Another notable increase this quarter is unplanned pregnancies. YES currently have five young expecting youth. The youngest is 14, oldest is 18. In all eight cases the girls received/receiving excellent medical care and continued monitoring with full services. This is an abnormally high pregnancy count for YES female youth.
Meth & prescription drug use by parents, guardians, relatives and caregivers has also increased as the primary cause of homelessness as reported by the youth. The increased numbers of reporting usage is also being recognized by other local service agencies. The lack of funding and soft budgets seems to be the universal concern and topic during our community meetings. Several of the YES youth are actively involved in youth groups and organizations that have given them an opportunity to share their stories in an effort to help peers and adults alike, how drugs have impacted their life and their futures. I believe their personal stories change the illusions of drug and alcohol use and paint a clear picture of its negative effect of everyone involved.
Financial Report
In-Kind Contribution: $8,536.00
Cash Contributions: $ 4,836.99
YES is sponsoring a $1000.00 Scholarship toward continuing educational expenses for one youth. The Scholarship Committee will select their candidate in mid May, to be awarded before graduation.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve the youth and to continue to communicate the unmet needs.

Press Release: People of Pend Oreille County Show Their Generosity Through Giving to Homeless Youth
NEWPORT, WA., January 4, 2017 — This holiday season was the brightest Y.E.S. Youth Emergency Services has shown in years. With record donations and the receipt of two key grants it seems Santa was smiling down on them this year.
“In the few short months that I have been the Director, I have been so amazed at the giving spirit of the community” says Y.E.S.’s Director Martina Coordes. “First, the coverage provided by the Miner Newpaper to get the word out about our Christmas tag program and then the overwhelmingly positive response from the community to fill those tag requests. This was the first time in our history that we had 100% of the tags adopted by the community. It was really heartwarming when a woman came in to pick up the very last tag. You could tell that it meant a lot to her, her eyes were filled with tears and she had a big smile on her face. Actually, I think we all teared up a little,” confessed Coordes.
Others choose to give this season by donating money that can be used throughout the year to meet the ongoing youth’s needs. One notable donation was given by Tommy Petrie who spent two days spreading Christmas cheer with just his voice and a guitar inside the lobby of Family Foods in Oldtown, gathering over $500 in donations for Y.E.S.
Y.E.S. also received two big grants in the month of December. The first was from Shopko in Oldtown for $500. This money will be used to pay for over the counter and prescription medications needed by the youth. Often medication is not paid for by grant funds so this will be particularly helpful, for example when a youth needs help paying for glasses or non-prescription skin cream. Then right before the New Year, Y.E.S. was awarded $3000 from Old Republic Mortgage, a branch of American Pacific Mortgage, as part of the APMCares foundation. This is a fund where American Pacific Mortgage Employees put money from their own paycheck into and then it is donated to Nonprofit organizations. With thousands of branches throughout the US this was a big honor to be selected out of hundreds that applied. Y.E.S. plans to use this funding to provide cold weather gear to homeless and at risk youth during the Point in Time (PIT) count on January 28, 2017. The Point in Time Count is a national event when all Homeless are counted on one single day. We will be working with Family Crisis Network to count for accuracy the number of homeless youth living in Pend Oreille County. For more information on the point in time count- http://www.commerce.wa.gov/serving-communities/homelessness/annual-point-time-count/
“Y.E.S. is growing and we are set to continue to grow” exclaims Coordes “We hired a new case manager, Leondra Holman from nearby Idaho. Leondra has a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Washington University and comes to YES with over seven years’ experience. We feel so blessed that Leondra has accepted this position and know that our youth will be well served by her.” Leondra will be working full time in the Newport area.
Y.E.S. is asking for anyone who may want to consider being a Host Home for homeless youth to attend an informational meeting on February 1st from 6PM to 8PM. They will be going over the expectations of both the youth and the host home parents and what to expect as a host home parent. Applications will be available to be completed that evening. “During these frigid winter months it is critical that we have homes available, even short one or two night placements, to get these kids out of the cold” pleads Coordes. Future certification programs will take place in the Spring which will provide a much more in-depth information and preparation for being a Host Home Parent. For more information about this training or becoming a host home parent you can call Martina at 509-447-1125.
About Y.E.S. Youth Emergency Services of Pend Oreille
Youth Emergency Services provides services to Homeless and At Risk youth ages 13-17 in Pend Oreille County. Y.E.S.’s biggest asset is their Case Management Services which provides ongoing support for our youth assisting them with finding safe stable housing and any resources they may need to complete school and meet their individual goals. Y.E.S. also provides basic needs such as personal hygiene, medication, transportation, clothing and shoes, etc. This fall Y.E.S. will be having a school supply drive to collect supplies to ensure the youth go back to school with everything they need to be successful.
Contact:
Martina Coordes
316 W 2nd Ave
Newport WA 99156
509-447-1125
martinayeskids@outlook.com

Quarterly Report: October 1, 2016 – December 31, 2016
The last quarter of 2016 was a time of many changes, from the retirement of the director, to hiring of staff and obtaining new funding sources.
Programmatic Changes
Director changes – In late September 2016, Judi Lee the founder and longtime director/case manager retired from her post with Y.E.S.. Judi is a fixture in the community and worked tirelessly for 9 years caring for homeless youth in Pend Oreille County. We thank-you Judi Lee for leaving this legacy for us to continue!
On September 15, 2016, Martina Coordes was hired as the Program Director by the Board of Directors. Martina comes to us from Pend Oreille County Counseling Services where she managed the Substance Abuse Prevention Department handling both Federal and State grant funds. Martina holds a Master in Business Administration from Eastern Washington University and has worked in the Newport area for over 10 years. This will be the first time in 9 years that YES will have a full time director allowing for continued growth and expansion.
Case Manager – Katie Parnell continues to serve youth in the North County and is adding Cusick School District youth to her case load. In December, a new case manager was hired to work full time in the South county. Leondra Holman has a MS in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Washington University. Leondra has extensive experience working with youth and adults on life skills and will bring a whole new energy to this position.
Full Time Admin Support with Office Manager – Our long time receptionist Toni has been promoted to Office Manager full time and is running the day to day operation of the office as well as managing the donations. Toni is the heart of the program and knows YES better than anyone. This also means that we were able to extend our office hours to 5 days a week in November.
Funding Sources
Department of Commerce funding – This year we received a grant from the Department of Commerce through the brand new Office of Homeless Youth. The new funding begins to create the kind of financially stable organization we envision we will be in the future.
HB2163 – Pend Oreille County contributed a large portion of our funding in the past and again this year. Although the allotment will be smaller in the coming year (due to economic impacts) the County Commissioners have made it clear that they support YES by committing to a substantial funding amount in 2017.
Kalispel Tribe – We have been so blessed to have the Kalispel Tribe of Indians as partners in the success of our organization. Not only does the tribe provide our building for a very reasonable rent they awarded YES a $20,000 grant to be used in 2017 for school supplies, Christmas program and technology needs.
YES also received two big grants in the month of December. The first was from Shopko in Oldtown for $500. This money will be used to pay for over the counter and prescription medications needed by the youth. Often medication is not paid for by grant funds so this will be particularly helpful, for example when a youth needs help paying for glasses or non-prescription skin cream. Then right before the New Year, YES was awarded $3000 from Old Republic Mortgage, a branch of American Pacific Mortgage, as part of the APMCares foundation. This is a fund where American Pacific Mortgage Employees put money from their own paycheck into and then it is donated to Nonprofit organizations. With thousands of branches throughout the US this was a big honor to be selected out of hundreds that applied.   YES plans to use this funding to provide cold weather gear to homeless and at risk youth during the Point in Time (PIT) count on January 28, 2017. The Point in Time Count is a national event when all Homeless are counted on one single day. We will be working with Family Crisis Network to count for accuracy the number of homeless youth living in Pend Oreille County. For more information on the point in time count- http://www.commerce.wa.gov/serving-communities/homelessness/annual-point-time-count/
Financial Report
In-Kind Contribution: $11,946.67
Cash Contributions: $ 17,334.15
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve the youth and to continue to communicate the unmet needs.