Trees of Hope and HDC: Project Reach Out helping teen runaways

The holiday season is a time when families gather together, but not every family has a safe and nurturing household for teens and kids. The Human Development Center offers folks in the Northland mental health services, addiction recovery, and community crisis response. But one of their programs offered in Douglas County is ‘Project Reach Out,’. It’s a supportive network, which helps runaway teens and youth experiencing homelessness.

KayLa Polson has worked as a program supervisor with HDC for over a decade. She helps youth reconnect with their families through confidential and voluntary crisis intervention referral services. Although there’s been a significant increase in the number of teens and youth in Douglas County needing HDC’s services.

“Last year we were averaging like three, four, maybe five kids a night at the drop-in center. Just the other night, we had 24 kids and last night we had 32 kids. So, the need is continuing to increase.”

Project Reach Out uses 24-hour crisis intervention, and mediation of inter-family problems. HDC’s services help strengthen family relationships, by encouraging stable living conditions for the children. Over 16,000 students throughout the state of Wisconsin experienced homelessness in 2023, according to the Department of Public Instruction. Polson says early intervention is the key to preventing youth homelessness by resolving inter-family problems.

“It kind of depends on how much we’re able to reintegrate or get families back together or sometimes get families to communicate differently or better but always trying to communicate and connect, not just the youth but the family to the resources that they need to help decrease some of that stress at home that might be contributing to the circumstances and the situation that they’re in.”

Although there are times when reuniting a runaway teen with their family is not safe or in their best interest. Polson says the Project Reach Out staff at HDC try to help the homeless youth with getting them into contact with different housing options in Douglas County.

“Our staff work with them to connect them to other community resources that might be able to help with other housing options or stability. Ensuring that they have their needs met and that they’re safe.”

Project Reach Out is entirely funded through grants and donations. However, next year, HDC will be operating with less funding and more youth needing their services. Polson says donations are critical to continue helping runaway teens and kids here in the Northland.

“So going into the year 2025 we’re going in with a hundred thousand dollars less and the number of youth that we’re serving is continuing to grow. So if people are wanting to help the program… Monetary donations, clothing donations, food donations and hygiene items. Those are things that we are going through at rapid rates.”

Next Tuesday WDIO News will be holding a phone bank for our Trees of Hope campaign where you can donate to the Human Development Center. Also here’s more information about Project Reach Out.