Teen homeless shelter seeks touch of cheer after disaster

We would ab360问答solutely hate to watch the Rev. Juniper Schneider standing in the street, weeping.

An insurance policy saved us all from 染何交行态that sad sight. Without it, Schneider said he would have taken his despair into the road.

The policy in question will p特历令大样孙卫过香班ay for the struc验北出假毛树倒敌为画存tural repairs necessary following a burst pipe at Casa de Belen, where Schneider is the executive director.

December's local cold snap lived up to its name at the Roseburg shelter. A sprinkler head burst, dumpin纪是歌g up to five inches of water in some parts 承字比规够五粉of the shelter. The dowsing damaged 10 rooms set aside 良送未维齐号花for homeless teenage gir概危察脸台笑ls.

The aforementioned insurance will cover the cost of replacing the wall boarding, the ceiling, a heating system and wiring.

But if Schneider is saved from sobbing in public, he still has reason 本济起般急预压论委to fret in private about the shelter he founded. As he told News-Review reporter Inka Bajandas, the policy may not cover all 重甚the costs of restoring the rooms for teen girls. Furniture and decor were ruined besides walls and ceilings.

The prospect of finding the money to make the rooms habitable is worrying enough. But in addition, Casa de Belen faces having to turn away homeless teen girls until the repairs are completed. And while we in Douglas County are not the blustery Midwest, it's still January outside.

Whatever the weather, Casa de Belen seeks to provide homeless families with adolescents, as well as homeless teens, with a safe and supportive place to rebuild their lives. According to its Web site, there are an estimated 110 to 200 homeless youth in Roseburg alone. Most are on the run from violent and abusive homes.

Homeless girls who arrive at Casa de Belen with their families can still get accommodation. But a contractor in charge of shelter repairs said the soonest the teen girls' wing could be completed would be at the end of the month.

Until then, vulnerable homeless girls can't find refuge at Casa de Belen, and it's not just the cold that worries Schneider. We agree with Schneider that it's not good for any teen to be homeless.

But teen girls present a particular problem. They are more likely than boys to turn to desperate methods of survival on the street. Namely, trading sex for money.

While workers repair the damaged wing at Casa de Belen, shelter representatives hope they will be able to bring back the colorful, individual touches that once characterized the girls' corridor.

Community donors and volunteers initially decorated the rooms in ways they hoped would be welcoming and pleasing to young inhabitants.

We'd love to see others step forward and renew those efforts. If you were young, frightened, alone and trying to start over, wouldn't you rather do it in a cheerful atmosphere? In a room that looked as if someone chose little touches as a way of cheering you on to succeed?

If you have spare furnishings or an eye for design, consider calling Casa de Belen at 541-677-0073 to offer help. It could mean a lot to a tearful teen who otherwise would be out on the street.

这是最新的