Like many other troubled teens in the Niagara Falls area, Jake Jones felt the pressures of life on the streets.
“I was in the streets with violence, promiscuous females and drugs,” he said. “I used to hang out all day, smoke weed and drink.”
Jones, whose name has been changed here to protect his identity, heard some of his friends talk about Casey House in Niagara Falls, where troubled teens can go to find emotional assistance and shelter. The decision he made to go there changed his life.
“They helped me get away from that and helped me find a better road to go down,” Jones said of Casey House, at 710 Cedar Ave., which is run by the Family and Children’s Service of Niagara.
Kim Proch, program director at Casey House, described Jones as “a quiet young man” and said he’s fitting in quite well with the staff at the house.
“It’s hard for young people to trust who they don’t know, but he’s made good friends here,” she said. “He hangs out with us now.”
The goal of Casey House is to reunite homeless and runaway teens with their families or provide a safe alternative residence. They do so by guidance and encouragement instead of telling clients what they should do, Proch said.
Jones was encouraged to think more about the consequences of his choices.
“When he first got here, he wasn’t making very good decisions. Now he’s making better ones,” Proch said.
Jones said the guidance and encouragement was especially effective when dealing with parental issues.
“They encouraged me to analyze myself instead of pointing the finger at (my parents),” he said.
Casey House provides shelter and other services for as many as 600 young people ages 12 to 17 each year, according to Melanie Enders, the resident manager. Jones, who is 18 and no longer qualifies for shelter at the Casey House, said he still benefits from some of the services offered.
“If I need to talk to someone about something, I can talk to the staff,” he said. “I’m pretty much on my feet now, but if I need to talk, they are there.”
While Jones said his drug use was restricted to marijuana, he said he’s clean now and better off because of it.
“I tell kids who come in, ‘Don’t do it. It’s not worth it,’ ” he said. Now that he is off the drug, “I also find I have more opportunities.”
Casey House is open 24 hours. The average length of stay for teens is 11 days, according to Proch.
Casey House is also part of Project Safe Place, where homeless or runaway teens can look for signs at homes and businesses and know if they go inside, they will be directed to a safe place. For more information, call 285-7124 or visit niagarafamily.org/runaway_caseyhouse.html.
Anthony Custode Jr. is a freelance writer from Niagara Falls.
Niagara Living
Related Photos
-
Melanie Enders, the resident manager of Casey House
August 1, 2008
TEEN SAFEHOUSE: The Casey House in Niagara Falls
- Niagara Living
-
-
ADVENTURES OF A MASK MAKER: Letter of gratitude changes the life of a Tonawanda artist
- A HOME OF MY OWN: Adopting and foster kids in Niagara
- LITTLE GHOST: Lewiston home has an etheral visitor
-
DELUCA: This time it's personal
Writer's friends gather a support network to assist the Hayes family of North Tonawanda.
-
BIO-DIARY: Book helps women track health
Niagara Falls' native Marie Karner's Bio-Diary is a tool to track food intake, exercise, dreams and other matters of a woman's health.
-
MATCHMAKER: Patti Novak is teaching the world about romance
Meet Ken-Ton's Patti Novak, a matchmaker who is earning a national reputation through TV appearances on Oprah and Rachael Ray.
-
UNDER THE SEA: Back to school with flippers and goggles
Mary Akers of Lockport is admissions director for a seaside school for marine ecology in the Carribean.
-
TASTE THE WINE: Ed Adamczyk's summer on the Niagara Wine Trail
Join reporter Ed Adamczyk as he travels to each of the twelve tasting rooms on the NIagara Wine Trail, sampling the wide variety of wines to be found.
-
COVER STORY: Healing Niagara's health care crisis
The average citizen doesn’t need a medical degree to know the nation’s health care system is fat, sluggish and battling a host of challenges that threaten not only its life but everyone else’s. Some who have health insurance watch helplessly while premiums and co-pays rise at levels never before seen.
-
THE WEDDING PLANNER: Everything but the "I do"
- More Niagara Living Headlines
-
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
