What is the Oasis Teen Shelter?

The YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter makes a difference in Skagit County. There are many misconceptions about what kinds of kids go to Oasis, what goes on at Oasis, and many misunderstand the purpose of Oasis.

Many kids in our community live in homes where substance abuse, conflict, physical abuse, and other serious issues are present. Often kids living in these situations feel they need to escape and very often they do this by running away. Unfortunately, this means these kids are literally living on the streets or couch hopping. Sometimes growing up the way they do and living on the streets leads these kids to practice unsafe and unhealthy habits.

The YMCA Oasis Teen Shelter gives these kids somewhere to go. If they need to get out of an unsafe situation, they can stay overnight and get a hot meal. Oasis also has daylight hours that provides meals, showers, laundry, and support from trained staff. Oasis also provides workshops/classes about GED preparation, employment readiness programs, and life skills.

Kids who come to Oasis are cared for by trained staff and also receive case management. Staff work with the kids who come to Oasis to find long-term housing solutions and support. Oasis is intended to be a short-term solution that also provides troubled youth the tools they need to improve their situation.

Volunteers are a big part of what makes Oasis run and is necessary because of the kids in our area (we get youth from as far away as Concrete), which means Oasis is a part of our community and you can help. This is not a small issue, many youth receive the support, food, clothing, and dry place to stay because of Oasis. Did you know in 2009:

• 84 different youth were served at Oasis


• Oasis provided 3,069 meals and 969 bed nights


• 46% of teens were reunited with family after leaving Oasis


• 38% of teens attended school reguarly after leaving Oasis

If you are interested in volunteering or would like to make any kind of donation to Oasis (food, clothing, bedding, furniture, etc), please contact Oasis Director Camille Danon at c.danon@skagitymca.org.