Denogean: Agency saves needy youths for 20 years
by Anne T. Denogean on Mar. 13, 2007, under Family, Local
Dupper
Two decades ago, counselor Ann Young and teachers at Amphitheater High School wondered what they could do to help homeless teens beat the odds and earn diplomas.
“We had about 10 or 15 girls and boys who were ‘couch kids,’ living from couch to couch and struggling to maintain a stable home and stay in school,” Young said.
A homeless teen is 2.5 times less likely to receive a high school diploma than teens who aren’t homeless
Young persuaded members of her church to set up a shelter. That shelter, which could serve a handful of teens at a time, evolved into Youth On Their Own, a program that provides monthly stipends and other support to hundreds of metro-area teens each year.
The program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
It has helped teens meet their basic needs during times of crisis that would challenge the strongest of adults.
Shannon Dupper, 18, found Youth On Their Own in her senior year when horrific circumstances at home left her living with a friend’s family.
From age 14 to 17, Dupper was sexually abused by her father. When she finally reported him to authorities, John Allen Dupper was indicted on multiple felony charges. He was found guilty of two charges of sexual conduct with a minor under age 15, with the jury deadlocking on the remainder of the case.
He cheated his daughter of justice when he committed suicide by throwing himself off the second floor of the Pima County Jail on the day he was to be sentenced.
“I had mixed emotions because one side of me was, ‘He should have done his time. This isn’t fair.’ The other half of me was, ‘That’s my dad and my dad is now dead because he killed himself,’ ” Dupper said.
Despite the turmoil, Dupper graduated with her class at Marana High School. She credits Youth On Their Own with helping her finish by providing money, food, clothing and moral support.
“They treat you wonderfully,” she said. “You’re not just someone who’s coming in. You go in and their faces light up. They make you feel warm. They make you feel like you’re part of their family. If you need to talk to them, they’ll talk to you.
“Around Christmas, they have a Christmas party, and everybody gets a present.”
Dupper is studying sign language with plans to work as a court interpreter.
“I know what it’s like to be in the court system and how it feels for victims to go through all that stuff. And I know it’s more difficult for people who are deaf because it’s harder for them to get their story out. You need a good interpreter to have everything go right,” she said.
Youth On Their Own operates on an annual budget of $1.18 million.
Just 15 percent comes from government grants. The rest comes from private contributions and fundraising events.
When it started as a shelter, the program could serve about 10 students a year. Now it provides services to 500 to 600 teens annually, said Mary Gruensfelder-Cox, executive director.
It has helped more than 8,600 youths over the two decades, she said.
If the number seems greater than the population of homeless teens you’ve seen on the street, that’s because “homeless teen” is defined as any youth without a safe and permanent home, she said.
They may be camping out on a friend’s couch or moving from one relative’s home to another.
Every student in the program is expected to stay out of trouble, regularly attend school and earn passing grades.
They receive $125 a month for living expenses, as well as help obtaining other necessities, from food and housing to medical and dental services.
“If I needed food, they’d say, ‘OK, this is what we can do for you,’ ” Dupper said. “If I needed clothing, they’d say, ‘We can help you out with that.’ Any toiletries or things like that, they helped me with. School supplies? They helped me with school supplies.”
Without Youth On Their Own’s assistance over the years, it’s fair to say many of the teens the program has served would have been not only homeless but also lost for good.
Anne T. Denogean can be reached at 573-4582 and adenogean@tucsoncitizen.com. Address letters to P.O. Box 26767, Tucson, AZ 85726-6767.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Youth On Their Own office, 1443 W. Prince Road, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. To get help, call 293-1136.
You can help with:
● Cash
● Planned gifts (bequests, trust proceeds)
● Noncash gifts – clothes, toiletries, food – that stock the student “Mini Mall”
● Sponsoring/underwriting student events or agency print/electronic materials
● Volunteering your professional services
● Conducting an event with proceeds to benefit students in the program
Call 293-1136 to offer assistance.
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ON THE WEB
Youth On Their Own: www.yoto.org
