St. Cloud Rotary and HOPE 4 Youth Partner on New Resource Center

ST. CLOUD -- Homeless youth in the St. Cloud Metro area will soon have a new place to get the resources needed to help them end their hardship.

The Rotary Clubs of greater St. Cloud and HOPE 4 Youth are announcing the opening of a new youth opportunity center called Pathways 4 Youth, in February. The new center will be in the Youth for Christ building, at 203 Cooper Avenue North.

Tim Wensman, Rotary Member and one of the lead volunteers on the project says through working with local agencies, they found there was a "desperate" need for this type of resource center.

"We found that every night in the St. Cloud area over 125 youth ages 16 - 23 are homeless. They're sleeping in an alley or in a car, someone's couch. Or worse yet, selling their bodies to get out of the weather."

While it won't be open for overnight stays or housing, the resource center will provide social services, medical professionals, computers, lockers, showers, a mailing address for the youth, along with clothing, laundry, and an evening meal.

Wensman says the center's resources are designed to help homeless youth in St. Cloud get back up on their feet again.

"We want them to have a safe place to learn about and gain access to resources that can put them back on a path that will help them grow as individuals and become contributing members of our community."

The center will be open Monday - Friday from 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. The center is also partnering with several local organizations, including Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud, and Stearns County Department of Human Services.

They're still looking for donations to help run the center, and you'll be able to donate on their website in a few days.