 Wed, Nov 19, 2008 03:53 PM
| 2005-10-13 |
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2007-10-18  Lakewood News | Lakewood shelter cares for homeless, runaway youth
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| | By Jennifer Gilbert | | |
October 18, 2007
Monica, 16, vividly remembers the first time she arrived at the Gemini Treatment Center.
She had just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had attempted to run away from home at age 12.
Her mother, also bipolar, knew of a Family Tree treatment facility that helped runaway, homeless and abused youth. Monica's last name is being kept confidential.
"My mind was really out of control at the time," Monica said. "Two bipolar people can really clash, especially when one isn't properly medicated. I didn't have an eating disorder, but I was very close. I wasn't eating at all."
With the help of her mother and Gemini's strict regulations for its residents, the teenager was able to regroup. She is now looking at early graduation from high school and acts as a peer counselor at Gemini.
The center serves up to 20 children between the ages of 11 and 17 at any point in time, and Monica filled one of the two beds reserved for self-reporting youth. The remaining 18 beds are reserved for children from across Jefferson County and the Front Range who are sent to the center by Social Services.
From June 2004 to July 2005, the facility housed 311 children, including 67 runaway children, for 5,832 nights. The provider also gave assistance to 1,356 youth via the 24-hour information and referral hotline. November is Homeless Youth Awareness month, and the shelter will be working with area schools, parents and other nonprofit organizations to increase community education about the local plight.
"We try to prevent people from actually running and ending up on the streets," Gemini spokeswoman Nicole Sherwood said. "Right now, we're experiencing a lot of kids being here a few hours or a few days and then running again."
Youth sent to the facility by Social Services sometimes remain there for 90 days, and self-referred youth can stay for up to two weeks unless there are extenuating circumstances. During that time, they receive counseling or case management, education and 24-hour supervised care.
Problems for the children at the facility include mental, physical and emotional disorders and each is screened to provide proper care.
Showers, meals, school, free time and recreational activities are timed and regulated throughout the day.
At age 12, Monica stayed at the facility for three weeks before leaving. She returned to her public school for three days, got in a fight with a friend, and was back in Gemini for three more weeks. She said the structure worked for her.
"I punched a wall and almost broke my hand," Monica said. "The hardest part was walking back through the doors three days after I left. I felt like I was going home, then I was back again, and the same kids were still there to watch me come back."
All residents are graded on their behavior throughout the day, and how well they interact and complete their chores determines whether they are allowed to participate in special activities like field trips.
Boys and girls are separated, and there is a lot of individual attention in the classroom and the residence.
"Before you can teach any kids, no matter where they're at, you have to have their behavior under control," educational coordinator Stephanie Smith said. "I think it's easier here than in public school because we have such a structured environment, and there are always three other adults available."
Smith recognizes that her experience in the classroom is different than most teachers. She acts as principal, math teacher and education coordinator for Gemini's school, and just that morning she had had a student tip over a desk in frustration.
Unlike in public schools, though, there are group punishments for bad behavior and group rewards for good behavior, so it encourages working together.
"They really want to see each other do well," Smith said. "The behaviors that are expected here are the same that are expected at home, and the consequences are enforced in both places."
Monica, the youngest at the facility when she stayed there, now surprises charges at the facility with how well she adapted. She is still their age, and they tell her they trust her more because she lived in Gemini and she is their own age.
"It took a lot of practice to always find something positive no matter how bad things get, but I learned to do it," Monica said. "I've seen a few kids go through the exact same thing that happened to me."
She credits Gemini and therapy with the better relationship she and her mom have. Her mother and she have learned to work through problems and give each other their space.
"You have to have a passion to work with these kids, and luckily my staff seem to have that passion," Smith said. "It motivates you because you helped someone else along the way. It empowers me to keep moving on."
Lakewood Community Editor Jennifer Gilbert can be reached at 303-279-5541, ext. 263.
Family Tree's Gemini
The shelter educates, cares for and provides health services for homeless, runaway and social services protected youth aged 11-17. For more information, to volunteer or to donate, call 303-235-0630.
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