VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (PRWEB) March 03, 2019
Seton Youth Shelters will begin a four-month renovation of its Virginia Beach Girl’s Shelter on March 4, 2019, announced Executive Director Jennifer Sieracki on Friday, March 1, 2019. “We are excited to begin work on this long-awaited—and needed—project made possible by the City of Virginia Beach through its HUD funded Community Development Block Grant administered by the City’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. This generous funding will enable us to complete critical exterior and infrastructure improvements for our 20-year old Girls’ House.”
The $104,000 restoration project, scheduled for completion in late June 2019, will include a new HVAC system, along with new windows, exterior doors, alarm system, siding, roof and commercial kitchen appliances. Renovations will be performed by T& M Mechanical, Beach Windows, McDaniel’s Roofing, Johns Brothers, and Crest Foodservice Equipment, beginning with installation of a new HVAC system on March 4, 2019. “When Seton completed new construction on the Girls’ House 19 years ago, funds were not available for sustainable renovations,” Sieracki explained. “Our current operating budget does not include a surplus sufficient to address this degree of renovation. The upcoming improvements made possible through this HUD grant and the City’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation will not only restore and protect the physical integrity of our Girl’s Residence structure, but also give the building a long overdue facelift. This means that girls staying with us will be in a sound, secure house that is also more pleasant and attractive. We can provide our young residents with both practical improvements and enhanced quality-of-life.”
HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program works to ensure decent affordable housing and has made a difference in the lives of millions of people and their communities across the Nation.
The mission of Seton Youth Services (SYS) is to provide a safe haven, counseling and outreach services, 24 hours a day, without charge, to assist youth in crisis throughout Hampton Roads, with the goal of reuniting families.
Designated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1984, Seton Youth Shelters was initially established to serve vulnerable runaway and homeless girls living on the streets. A Boys’ Shelter and a van-based Street Outreach Program were added in 1999. Shelter services include 24-hour shelter, food, clothing, educational assistance, counseling and case management for youth ages 9 up to 18. The street outreach mobile counseling team travels a 400-square mile area in Hampton Roads, providing comprehensive services for youth living on the streets and in high-risk neighborhoods. The Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program, established in 2006, is a mentoring program for children, ages 4 up to 18, affected by the incarceration of a loved one. Seton Youth Shelters is the only licensed National Safe Place organization in Southeastern Virginia, providing 24-hour crisis intervention services and access to immediate emergency shelter for any youth in crisis, including disconnected, runaway, homeless, trafficked or street youth. As when the organization opened its doors in 1985, Seton Youth Shelters remains committed to providing all three of its programs—and related services—always free of charge to youth served and their families.
