GRAND RAPIDS--A new homeless center in Grand Rapids is working to serve a part of the community that hasn't been served before in West Michigan. HQ will soon open to homeless teens around the city.
"We really wanted someone to walk in and feel like they could find their spot," said HQ director, Shandra Steininger.
The center will be a drop-in only center. Teens won't be able to live there.
"You're more likely to be homeless as a young person than as an adult," Steininger said.
In Grand Rapids, studies suggest around 200 people under the age of 18 are homeless each night. Around 2,000 children each year consider themselves homeless.
"We really don't see homeless young people hanging out in the same way that you might in a larger city," Steininger said. "You don't see them under the bridge or hanging out on the corner asking for money so the stereotypes and the images that we have of a homeless person just don't apply to young people."
It's a section of the homeless community that HQ hopes to serve by providing several services ranging from showers and laundry facilities to counseling. Their overall goal is to reduce the number of homeless teens in West Michigan.
"It's a place of belonging. It's a place anyone can walk in the front door and be accepted exactly as they are."
The center will be open Monday through Friday from 3:30pm-6:30pm. If you'd like to learn more about volunteering, donating or using their services, visit their website.
