- Three-program tour planned for November 19, 2010 -

(Fresno, CA) Last year, California’s Department of Justice reported 5,192 runaways in Fresno County. As part of National Runaway Prevention Month, Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission’s (EOC) Sanctuary and Youth Services would like to shed light on the issue by inviting our Valley Representatives and media outlets on a tour of its programs geared toward helping runaway or homeless youth and young adults. Congressmen George Radanovich, Jim Costa, and Devin Nunes have been invited to attend the three-program tour scheduled for Friday, November 19, 2010. The tour, which begins at 4:00 p.m., includes stops at Transitional Living Center’s quarterly recognition event, Sanctuary Youth Shelter, and a ride-along with the Sanctuary Outreach to the Streets team.

Between January and October of this year, EOC’s Sanctuary Youth Shelter provided temporary refuge and case management services to 331 unduplicated runaway youth; last year, the total number of unduplicated youth served was 445. “We are likely to surpass the number of unduplicated youth helped last year, as the number of runaways rise during the holiday season," says Misty Gattie-Blanco, Sanctuary Youth Shelter Manager. “Our goal is to provide these runaways with the refuge, guidance, and support needed to work through their problems and to reunify them with their families when possible."

In 2009, EOC’s Sanctuary Youth Shelter:

• provided refuge and assistance to 589 youth and young adults ages 11-17 years; of those:

- 455 were unduplicated

- average age of youth assisted is 13-16 years (426 total)

- 46% male / 54% female

• provided a total of 3,685 nights of shelter

• provided 18,425 meals and snacks to youth accessing Youth Shelter

• reunified 386 clients with their families (85%)

• provided 4,234 service intervention units (outreach materials including hygiene kids, food, clothing, information, access to Sanctuary & Youth Services programs) to street youth

The Sanctuary Outreach to the Streets (SOS) program provided:

• 245 youth with housing assistance including placement in the Sanctuary Transitional Living Centers

• 2,400 youth with prevention services including comprehensive case management for 300 homeless and street youth

• 975 street youth transported to health care facilities, homeless and transitional shelters, and weekly community activities

• 3,600 brown bags and hot meals during street outreach and Drop-In Center distribution

“We’d like to give our Valley representatives an opportunity to experience the great work we do while giving our program participants the opportunity to meet the representatives who make our programs possible," says Michelle L. Tutunjian, Sanctuary and Youth Services Director. “Federal funding makes it possible for us to positively impact the lives of hundreds of youth and young adults who would otherwise have nowhere else to go."

Sanctuary and Youth Services provides temporary shelter and crisis intervention services to runaway and homeless youth 11-24 years old. Sanctuary’s services include a 24-hour emergency shelter for youth 11–17 years of age, Transitional Living Centers for young adults 16–24, a Drop-In Center, and case management services. In addition, Sanctuary operates 260 Safe Place sites throughout Fresno County which serve as access points into the Sanctuary Youth Shelter.

If you are unable to attend the three-program tour, but would like to schedule your own media tour, please contact Yahaira Garcia-Perea at 263.1024 for availability.