Rod’s House: A safe spot for unhoused youth

When Rosa Garcia found Rod’s House at 14, it was a safe place amid instability at home. In the years that followed, it became more than she could have anticipated.

“It started with the drop-in center for things like hygiene and food,” she explains. “I learned over the years struggling with housing and stability that it was so much more than that. It gave me a lot of support that I didn’t know was out there.”

Now Garcia works in youth and community engagement for Rod’s House, and she’s bringing that safety and support to others in Yakima.

What is Rod’s House?

Rod’s House was established in 2009 by a group of community members who saw a need to help young people experiencing homelessness or instability at home, such as unreliable access to food or electricity, explains Amber Green, development director of the nonprofit.

Young people ages 13-24 have access to shelters, case management, drop-in support, food, clothing, hygiene products and internet access at Rod’s House. They can also receive behavioral health services — a new and expanding program at Rod’s House — and basic medical care.

Shelters are located at Hope Center in Yakima and the Young Adult Emergency Home in Sunnyside.

“We keep our services low-barrier because we recognize how hard it is to focus on things like getting a job, housing or education when you’re just looking for something to eat or don’t have clean clothing,” Green explains. “Basic needs are our number-one priority, then we get them into case management.”

The drop-in resource center aims to meet each visitor’s basic needs in 15 minutes, she says. But once youth come in the door, the Rod’s House team also wants to help them build a more stable future.

“(Youth) make the choice to go into case management if they wish, and they are the ones following through with the plan,” Green explains. “We want to take them past just finding safe and stable housing … while managing all the other things in their life.”

Depending on age and needs, case managers or family navigators will work with youth for at least six months after they leave the shelter. Unaccompanied minors may move into one of their Host Homes for six to 12 months if they commit to education, employment, housing and related goals. For those 18-24, case managers focus on developing stabilizing life skills.

“We get to help youth and young adults who don’t always have the same choices that others do,” explains Raeann Rowe, director of behavioral health services. “Other organizations focus so much on adults, and we forget that this age group struggles with some of the similar things in life. We can focus on those needs before they become an even bigger impact on their life.”

An overlooked group

Yakima lacks safe housing options for youth experiencing homelessness and instability, Rowe says. A lot of youth need help and don’t know where it is or how to ask for it.

“People assume that (young people) will have families or some kind of support structure with love and affection,” she says. “But we forget that a lot of youth don’t have families or sometimes their families can’t support them, can’t afford to support them or they just don’t click.”

Garcia, who faced instability at home, says she was in denial and didn’t think to ask for help until a friend told her about Rod’s House.

“We think that to be homeless you have to be on the street. But for some people like me, we have housing but it’s not stable,” she explains. “I’m surprised by the number of people who come to Rod’s House and say, ‘Yes, we’ve had all these experiences, but we weren’t homeless enough for people to help us.’”

As a teenager, Garcia often didn’t know what the next day would look like, and that became scarier when she became a mother.

The newly opened Hope Center provides shelter to struggling youth in Yakima, as well as connection to skill building resources and support.

“My mom was as supportive as she could be and I love her, but things happen with families. I needed to do my best to support my child,” she says. “It was an unstable family, and I was bringing in my own stuff … not following the rules, being a young mom, dropping out of school. (My mom) told me I had to figure it out and thankfully I did, through the help of Rod’s House.”

Every young person’s story is unique, Green says. Some age out of foster care and haven’t been set up for success. Many LGBTQ+ kids are kicked out. Some may be trying to escape violence or substance use at home, or there’s a lack of understanding and support for their mental health challenges.

“Youth become homeless for so many different reasons,” Rowe says. “We need to focus on getting them the support they need when young and building their confidence, which will allow them to finish school, find their next steps and be more confident in their ability to move forward.”

The impact of mental health

Through their behavioral health program, Rod’s House provides a wraparound support system focused on physical safety and well-being, education, skill building, access to resources, and mental health.

The majority of young people don’t have support at home or access to professional mental health resources, Rowe explains. Often, parents and caregivers assume the big emotions young people have are just a normal part of life. But when they haven’t been given the tools to cope in a safe and healthy way, those emotions can become damaging.

“If you can find at least one person who can listen or understand what you’re facing, they can help you cope,” she says. “Helping them at a young age allows them the opportunity to grow in so many ways, learn coping skills and address their fears and struggles. … it also helps reduce the chance of substance abuse, which for so many people is a coping mechanism.”

Some of the most common mental health challenges in youth are anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and eating disorders, Rowe says. These issues can be exacerbated or caused by a variety of things, from school pressures to social media bullying.

Teaching youth how to respond to those pressures will build confidence that lasts a lifetime, and give them opportunities to succeed in life, Rowe says.

Giving youth a voice is valuable

“Rod’s House has taught me a lot about myself and others,” Garcia says. “When I came into Rod’s House, I was very timid. … I just didn’t know where I belonged. They helped me find my voice.”

She sees those similarities in the young people she works with on the Youth Action Committee.

“They have so many strong opinions, but no one to tell them to,” Garcia says. “They’re so mature for their age, and that may be because they had to be, but we can use that in such powerful ways. We just have to take the time to listen and put that into action.”

The Youth Action Committee is a group of more than a dozen youth, ages 13-24, who have experienced housing instability. Their goal is to end youth homelessness by empowering young people to voice their challenges — and share opinions about how organizations like Rod’s House can better meet their needs.

“We uplift the voices of young people to be partners in this work,” Green says. “We want them to give their advice and insights to help us solve these issues.”

Many of the challenges youth face would otherwise be unknown: safety concerns when trying to find help; the anxiety of constantly being on guard; the challenge of maintaining a job when you can’t open a bank account or access the internet; the inability to access resources without a birth certificate or Social Security card.

“It’s hardly ever an issue of not wanting to do something, being ‘lazy’ or just not listening to their parents,” Green adds. “There’s so many underlying issues we need to be aware of and address.”

Most of all, though, the team at Rod’s House wants youth in the community to know they are available and ready to help — no judgment or pressure.