About Amy's Place (Power Point in pdf format) Code of Conduct Amy's Place Rules 501(c)(3) Certificate

I am Heidi Unick and I am the Director of Amy's Place and have a B.A. degree in Social Welfare and a M.A. in Sociology.  I'm the only staff right now but we could add more as we are financially able to support them. Amy's Place is run by a Board of Directors and are in compliance with 501(c)3 non-profit regulations.  A-Advocacy and Assistance: Needs assessments, resource referrals to: appropriate treatment, healthcare, education, employment, counseling, and advocacy programs. Meals and snacks, clothing, hygiene kits, bus tickets, shower passes and access to phone & internet. M-Mentoring and building caring, supportive relationships: Build caring, supportive relationships with staff and volunteers. Positive, healthy relationships with clean & sober mentors. Peer-to-peer support and counseling and engaging community presentations. Y-Youth Driven or directed: Youth play an active role in decision making Youth governing board: Established Code of Conduct, Picked out furniture and designed layout and, develop leadership skills, sense of responsibility & ownership.     Kids under 18 attend on Saturdays only   Kids over 18 and under 25 attend Fridays only. History Old Town Christian Ministries  (OTCM) has been serving the homeless population in Whatcom County since 1980. The organization was founded by a small group of citizens who were concerned about homelessness in Whatcom County, Washington.  During the early 1980’s  this group gathered and distributed sleeping bags, blankets and winter clothing to the homeless in need. In 1986, OTCM was certified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the State of Washington. In 1995, OTCM opened a thrift store which became the basis of operations for homeless outreach services and was in operation until June 2007. OTCM also managed a federal food stamp education contract between 1999 and 2005, wherein OTCM was the prime contractor to provide food stamp education in a five-county area in Washington State. OTCM was responsible to all six subcontractors and oversaw an annual budget of approximately $1 million.  OTCM is committed to serving the “hardest to serve”. Many of our clients do not qualify for other programs because of substance and alcohol abuse, mental illness or criminal records. A majority of clients, however, have been turned away and/or referred by community agencies. We believe in the dignity of each person and the value of every life, and our small staff is dedicated to providing services that meet the most basic human needs of our clients. Currently, OTCM offers one program component to the community --- Amy’s Place for Youth Drop-In Center. Due to recent budget cuts and reduction of our capacity, Stepping Stones Emergency Housing and the  Thrift Store have ceased operations. Amy’s Place Drop-in Center began in December 2006 to address the gap in services being provided to the homeless, runaway and street youth population in Whatcom County. Amy’s Place quickly grew from serving only a few youth a night to now providing services for up to 48 youth Friday and Saturday evenings.  Many of the youth we serve at Amy’s Place are the hardest to serve and really don't fit into Whatcom County’s current shelter and support system network because of chemical dependency issues and mental illness. At Amy’s Place, our goal is to build relationships with these hard-to-reach youth so that they can choose for themselves to live in recovery, enter treatment and leave the streets.

Homeless Youth:
Homeless youth are individuals under the age of 18 who lack parental, foster, or institutional care. Some youth become homeless with their families, others leave home after years of physical and sexual abuse, strained relationships, parental neglect, addiction of a family member, or their own chemical addiction.