By Matt Benoit | WhatcomTalk
In the last year, Northwest Youth Services (NWYS) provided nearly 1,000 minors and young adults experiencing homelessness with food, shelter and supplies. Since 1976, the Whatcom County-based nonprofit has been a doorway to safety and pathway to progress for thousands of at-risk, runaway and homeless youth.
Through a series of quality programs, and partnerships with local organizations like Peoples Bank, NWYS continues their quest to end youth homelessness. Peoples Bank works with NWYS to provide sponsorship and financial resources, as well as internal leadership.
Riannon Bardsley (right) and Hollie Brown (left) inside 22 North.
Hollie Brown, Peoples Bank’s marketing manager, is also a NWYS board member. Brown says she didn’t understand the scope of youth homelessness locally until becoming involved with the organization.
“The image in my head originally was pretty stereotypical of an old man huddled in a corner,” Brown says. “I wasn’t picturing a 16-year-old not having a home. When we have a better understanding of the causes of homelessness and who it affects, we can do more to help. Read more...