To build a beacon of hope

Sobering statistics from public school counselors are one reason Michelle and Ed King are opening the LC Valley Youth Resource Center.

On any given evening, 30 middle school- and high school-age children in Lewiston and Clarkston have no safe place to sleep. A surprisingly high percentage are as young as 12 years old, said Michelle King, president of the board of directors of the not-for-profit center.

“Some will stay with their friends, and some will make dangerous choices,” she said.

The Kings are converting a former assisted living facility at 1633 10th Ave. in Lewiston into a place that will give those kids another option.

They hope to open it sometime in August with a day program, as well as four bedrooms with two bunk beds where young people can stay overnight for short periods of time.

The Kings are coordinating everything at the center with law enforcement, child protective services and the Lewiston and Clarkston school districts.

The boys and girls who stay at the center will be required to have permission from their parents, if they are available.

“If a parent is unreachable … then we will contact the police and let them know they are there,” Michelle King said.

Young people who stay there will be required to be enrolled in Lewiston or Clarkston schools.

“It is a safe place for displaced teens,” King said. “This is not a place for teens to circumvent responsibility. This is not a runaway center. This is a place for teens who have tough circumstances and want change.”

Reasons young people might need the center include domestic violence and parents battling substance abuse, she said.

The Kings, who are donating their time, will stay in an apartment on site five nights a week as house parents and have others fill that role the remaining two days. A paid staff member will stay awake all night monitoring the sleeping area.

The center will have a drop-in program from 2:30-7 p.m. seven days a week. Volunteers and paid staff will provide the kinds of support available to teens in more stable households.

Teens can do their laundry, shower, work on school assignments using computers and the internet and participate in activities such as board games. At 7 p.m., the focus will shift to overnight accommodations, with center volunteers and staff members contacting parents.

Those who stay over will be awakened at 6 a.m. so they can get ready to board buses for school. They must leave by 10 a.m. on weekends. Kids who stay more than one night will be given a tote where they can leave belongings during the day.

Creating the schedule is one of many tasks the Kings completed in the months they spent planning the center with an advisory board. They worked with state agencies to be sure they are following procedures that ensure safety, such as requiring all paid staff and volunteers, including themselves, to undergo background checks.

They said they hope to get confirmation soon that the center has been designated as a children’s institution by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare so they have a clear understanding of the rules they need to follow.

They have also found resources. The city of Lewiston provided a $150,000 grant to help purchase the building. The Kings are in the process of raising additional money, seeking donations of supplies such as toiletries and recruiting volunteers.

While much remains to be done, they said they believe they are on track to open in August, continuing work they started when they were raising a blended family at their house near Lewiston’s Jenifer Junior High. Their children brought home classmates who didn’t have a place to stay, and the Kings did what they could to meet their needs.

Ed King’s background helped. He earned a bachelor’s degree in social work, was a house manager at Northwest Children’s Home in Lewiston and worked as a guardian ad litem representing the interests of children in foster care cases.

Both of them will continue to work full time. He owns a furniture store in downtown Lewiston, and she is a sales associate for WideOrbit, a company that provides software for media companies.

What they and others contribute to the center, they believe, will pay big dividends in putting young people’s lives on more productive paths.

“It’s really a beacon of hope,” she said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.