Davis Education Foundation to open a teen living center to help students facing homelessness
Aug 28, 2024, 9:55 PM
People tour the nearly complete Volunteers of America - Utah Youth Resource Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 30, 2016. The agency expects to serve 800 homeless teens a year that are currently living on the streets. (Jeffrey D. Allred/ Deseret News)
(Jeffrey D. Allred/ Deseret News)
LAYTON, Utah — The Davis Education Foundation is opening a new teen living center in Layton to help students who are experiencing homelessness.
The foundation’s Executive Director Jodi Lunt said the Davis School District has hundreds of students grappling with unstable living conditions.
“They tend to couch surf, sleep in sheds. They may be in their cars… These young people need a safe place to put their head at night. They need a great place to begin to learn life skills, be able to hold a steady job, be able to have a place to do their homework,” she said.
Lunt gave credit to the community for inspiring the three-year project. When a teacher, counselor, or family reaches out to the Davis Education Foundation for help, they have the day centers. However, those only offer temporary help.
“A community member appreciated the work that we were doing with the teen centers for day services and asked a candid question of ‘But where are the most vulnerable of these young people sleeping at night?’”
Starting mid-September, the new facility on N Fort Lane will be ready to serve students within the Davis School District.
