HomeAid Inland Empire Recognizes Family Assistance Program as 'Service Provider of the Year' for Our House Youth Shelter

RIVERSIDE, CA, March 01, 2013 (Press-News.org) HomeAid Inland Empire recently honored the Family Assistance Program as its "2012 Service Provider of the Year" in recognition of the organization's opening of the Our House runaway and homeless youth shelter in Redlands, the first facility of its kind in San Bernardino County.

In conjunction with Children's Fund, HomeAid Inland Empire assisted the Family Assistance Program with the renovation of a 12-bed shelter facility that provides temporary housing as well as guidance counseling services to young people between the ages of 11 and 17.

"We were privileged to have the opportunity to work with Darryl Evey and his Family Assistance Program team to help make this much-needed homeless youth shelter facility become a reality, because it serves such an important purpose in our community" commented Ray Osborne, Executive Director of HomeAid Inland Empire, in making the award presentation. "The homeless youth population in San Bernardino and Riverside counties now numbers well over 5,000 and is continuing to grow every day. We need to do whatever we can to help solve this critical problem," he added.

"We knew the importance of partnering with the Family Assistance Program to secure a solid safety net solution on behalf of the homeless youth in San Bernardino County, and we are excited to see 'Our House' youth shelter become a reality," states Erin Phillips, President & CEO of Children's Fund.

The Family Assistance Program was established in Victorville in 1985, and has provided a variety of assistance services to women and children as well as young people in the High Desert and other areas in San Bernardino County. While providing teen dating classes to area high schools, they learned there were no shelters able to help minors in the County of San Bernardino. In 2009, they began working to fill this need.

"Through the combined efforts of many community partners, we were able to open Our House Youth Shelter in March 2012," added Darryl Evey, executive director of Family Assistance Program. "This has truly been a community effort that would not have happened without the efforts of the Children's Fund, HomeAid Inland Empire and the Homeless Youth Task Force."

HomeAid Inland Empire is a non-profit organization that works with various service provider partners to renovate and build shelters to temporarily house homeless individuals and families in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. HomeAid Inland Empire has completed 23 shelter facilities housing 629 beds valued at more than $16.7 million over the past 23 years, with the Inland Empire homebuilding industry providing over $6.2 million in in-kind donations of labor and materials. More than 2,500 homeless individuals and families are served each year at the shelter facilities that have been created through HomeAid Inland Empire and their service provider partners.

To volunteer, donate or become a corporate partner, please contact HomeAid Inland Empire at ray@homeaidie.org or call (951) 686-0628. For more information about HomeAid Inland Empire go to organization's website at http://www.homeaidie.org.