VOA youth services available in Sheridan and Johnson Counties

For over two decades, Volunteers of America of the Northern Rockies has been working to provide a sense of stability and security to children who are wards of the state or who may otherwise be homeless. 

 VOA of the Northern Rockies, Director of Youth and Outreach Services Jon Tengesdal and Milestones Youth Home Program Manager Zoe Sailor, made an appearance on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse to discuss the VOA services available to youth in the region.

Approximately 20 years ago, VOA of the Northern Rockies found a need in Sheridan and Johnson Counties that they felt they could help with regarding youth that have found themselves homeless or needing to find a place of refuge. Tengesdal said this was one of the first programs VOA initiated in the area.

J. Tengesdal

Milestones Youth Home is a residential facility for youth ages 10-17 located on the VOA campus in Sheridan. 

According to the VOA of the Northern Rockies, for families and youth in crisis, Milestones provides a structured environment that promotes social skills, stability, and education. Residents learn life skills and work with VOA staff to create and enact a plan for integration to their families or society more broadly. Creating a plan is one of the first actions that staff take with a youth who has come to live in Milestones. This helps to create a sense of structure and stability when many of these youths have had little to none in their lives. 

Milestones also serves as a runaway and homeless youth shelter, which according to the VOA, is always accessible to youth. Youth aged 10-17 years old who find themselves in need of food and shelter are welcome, and should not hesitate to reach out for assistance.

Sailor said The Youth Independent Living program takes off where Milestones ends, serving as a transition. But it also serves youth who have experienced incarceration, treatment, homelessness, or out-of-home placement. Many of these young adults have not been taught the basics of living independently. The Youth Independent Living program can learn to live independently while also receiving instruction on basics such as employment, education, health, financial management skills, recreation, and family relationships. The program can also help youths who are currently experiencing homelessness. 

Z. Sailor

To learn more about the youth services available from the VOA of the Northern Rockies, click here.