New Roads

Riverfront School Students Raise Funds for Pets of Homeless Youth

Riverfront School Students Raise Funds for Pets of Homeless Youth

Students from a Community Projects class at Looking Glass’ Riverfront School & Career Center created a fundraiser to support the needs of pets of unhoused youth who access services at Looking Glass homeless youth programs. The students raised almost $300 including donations of in-kind pet supplies. Wags! Dog Emporium matched every dollar raised and donated additional items for a total value of almost $900 in pet supplies gathered and donated to Looking Glass homeless youth programs for their pets.

Staff Spotlight: Trafficking Prevention Specialist and Survivor Advocate

Staff Spotlight: Trafficking Prevention Specialist and Survivor Advocate

The Trafficking Prevention Specialist and Survivor Advocate plays a crucial role in providing trafficked youth with a safe space and assistance with extricating themselves from a dangerous situation. For the safety of the employee in this unique role, we are not identifying her by name. For the importance of the education of this community, we are sharing some of her experiences.

Trafficking of youth comes in many forms, but most often comes down to a vulnerable young person trading favors or services in exchange for housing, food, or other basis needs. Or, in some cases these services are traded for drugs or alcohol, which, in turn help these victims endure the assault or abuse at the hands of those holding power over them.

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Looking Glass New Roads Kitchen Remodel is Underway

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Looking Glass New Roads Kitchen Remodel is Underway

Looking Glass New Roads Kitchen Remodel is underway and we need YOUR help with temporary outdoor kitchen services. Beginning in May the New Roads day program for homeless youth services will begin construction on the current kitchen to enable cooking of full meals. To-date, the New Roads staff have been without adequate ventilation and equipment to provide a full kitchen and thus meals have been quite challenging to provide 3 times per day to homeless youth.

5th Annual Socktoberfest Sock Drive Generates 20,000 Pairs of Socks for Homeless Youth

5th Annual Socktoberfest Sock Drive Generates 20,000 Pairs of Socks for Homeless Youth

The 5th annual “Socktoberfest” sock donation drive that runs the month of October each year, was a smashing success this year thanks to the generosity of community members and drive corporate sponsors. More than 20,000 pairs of socks came through, more than double the prior year’s haul! Socks are a crucial necessity for unhoused individuals and the New Roads staff often runs out of socks to hand out during the year so this annual drive has become very important.

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Community Partner Spotlight: Austin Folnagy, housing placement

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Community Partner Spotlight: Austin Folnagy, housing placement

Finding affordable, safe, quality housing is a challenge for a lot of people in Eugene and broader Lane County, but especially so for youth with limited rental history and sometimes criminal history. So it is particularly special to Looking Glass when a local community member agrees to long-term rental partnerships. Austin Folnagy is the most recent example of a willing and supportive landlord who enthusiastically embraces the opportunity to rent an entire complex to Looking Glass youth.

“It’s a way to give back, for sure,” Folnagy explained. “It’s a business, for sure, but by working with Looking Glass in this way, it’s a way to do good in our community too.”

New Roads Homeless Youth - In Need of Male-Identified Clothing Donations!

New Roads Homeless Youth - In Need of Male-Identified Clothing Donations!

New Roads homeless youth drop-in center (off 7th and Blair Blvd) has a clothing closet for youth clients ages 16 to 21. At this time, the shelves containing clothing for male-identifying youth are quite bare. Looking Glass is seeking donations of clothing in a variety of sizes including pants, shirts, shorts, socks as well as shoes of various sizes.

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New Roads Outreach Team Expands Staff And Hours

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New Roads Outreach Team Expands Staff And Hours

Thanks in part to a capacity building grant awarded from Lane County (via HUD) in 2022, Looking Glass New Roads homeless youth program has expanded both its outreach team and operating hours for the drop-in center located on 7th Avenue in Eugene. The outreach team doubled in size from a staff of 4 to staff of 8 and New Roads went from providing services Monday-Friday 8:30 to 5 to now offering 7-day-a-week services from 8:30AM to 8:30PM.

Southtowne Rotary Group Builds Animal Kennel for New Roads Homeless Youth Program

Southtowne Rotary Group Builds Animal Kennel for New Roads Homeless Youth Program

Members of the Southtowne Rotary group assembled a new animal kennel and installed it at New Roads homeless youth drop-in center after New Roads staff requested help corralling the various pets that youth tend to bring in. Rotarians Lonny and Jantzen built the 5-unit kennel and installed it in the first week of January.

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4th Annual Socktoberfest Sock Drive Generates Thousands of Socks for Homeless Youth

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4th Annual Socktoberfest Sock Drive Generates Thousands of Socks for Homeless Youth

The 4th annual Socktoberfest sock donation drive resulted in thousands of pairs of donated socks for New Roads homeless youth program. The October-long donation drive included donation locations at all Lane County area Bi-Marts, local Windermere offices, Macy’s at Valley River Center, Heritage Bank NW, all PeaceHealth hospital locations locally and also a special drive done by the UO Softball team.

New Roads Offers Youth Narcotics Anonymous Group Thursdays

New Roads Offers Youth Narcotics Anonymous Group Thursdays

Looking Glass New Roads Program, which provides support and basis needs to homeless youth ages 16-21, has started offering a weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting every Thursday from 1-2pm at New Roads School and hopes to create more awareness of this offering to any teen who has interest in attending. Anyone under the age of 21 can attend, no sign up needed. Angela Day, the on-site therapist at New Roads, runs the meetings, which started in February. Day said she is unaware of any such meetings being offered elsewhere in Lane County for youth but thinks the need is significant.

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Staff Spotlight: New Roads School Teacher Dane Eckweiler

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Staff Spotlight: New Roads School Teacher Dane Eckweiler

Looking Glass’ New Roads School Teacher, Dane Eckweiler, who started at the school for homeless youth clients of New Roads drop-in center in January of 2022, has always enjoyed helping people, particularly the challenge of helping youth who require a little more creativity in their academic approach. In early months on the job, Dane is enjoying the flexibility to help the students he works with to learn at their own pace and find subjects that interest them to help spark that passion for learning needed to keep going in the face of so many other life challenges.

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