In the Spotlight: Ozone House
/
For our “In the Spotlight” series, we’re shining a light on community and housing resources, sharing how to best find support and give support to our friends and neighbors who may need it most. This month’s highlight: Ozone House.
Ozone House is a non-profit organization working to meet the needs of community youth providing free, confidential voluntary shelter and support services. We connected with Amtheyst Floyd, Communications and Marketing Associate at Ozone House, to learn more about community youth center.
What should we know about Ozone House?
Ozone House is a 24-hour youth crisis organization that provides free, confidential, and voluntary shelter and support services for young people ages 10-24 who are experiencing homelessness, housing instability, and other types of crises.
What services or programs might people not know Ozone House provides?
Our Miller House clients participate in 'paying rent', which goes into a savings account until the individual leaves the program. That money is then returned to them to help with things such as a down payment or a security deposit.
What are some special programs and opportunities Ozone House provides for our community’s youth?
The youth at Ozone House have many opportunities to speak as they are the most qualified to share their stories. We have a Youth Advisory Board that meets regularly to discuss the programs, events, and policies that Ozone House implements to better serve our youth. We are a part of the Continuum of Care Youth Advisory Board, too.
We invite youth to join us for DOME Day, which is an event focused on speaking to legislators about how the policies their voting on will affect their younger constituents, as well as travel with staff to speak on these same issues in Washington D.C. They attend our annual fundraiser, vote on probably programming updates, and more.
How can someone seeking support access or request your services?
Contact our Crisis Line. Call our 24/7 crisis line (734-662-2222), or text “Ozone” to (734) 662-2222 Monday – Friday 9am -5pm, or click here to chat online Monday – Friday 9am -5pm. It does not matter if you need someone to vent to or are looking for specific services. Our Crisis Line volunteers will connect you to the resources you need.
How can community members who want to provide support get involved?
There are many ways for someone to get involved with Ozone House. We have one-off volunteer opportunities such as helping with the pantry or cleaning up our walking trails or long-term opportunities like tutoring youth at the drop-in center or taking calls on our crisis line.
Donations can be made by credit card or bank transfer through our website, but in-kind donations (such as shelf stable food, new clothes, cleaning supplies, and basic necessities) can be dropped off at our main location at 1600 N. Huron River Drive, Ypsilanti MI 48197, Monday - Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM.
The best way to learn how to advocate for Ozone House is to follow us on social media! We often post about the policies or issues that directly affect the youth we serve and pressing the share button can have a large impact. Sharing such relevant information to your circle can change the way people talk about youth experiencing homelessness, how they vote, and more.
Congratulations to Ozone House celebrating 55 years! What are you looking forward to next?
We’re turning our expansion space into a year-round emergency shelter! The construction is already done. Now, we are working on funding and staffing the space so it can be fully functional. That, along with growing and expanding our available programs.
What else should we know about Ozone House?
Adults can call the crisis line. You may be the parent of a youth who needs resources, but we can still inform you on the options available for them. If you are, or know of a youth in crisis, call our 24/7 Crisis Line at 734-662-2222.
We’d like to give a special thank you to Amtheyst Floyd for sharing with us! Learn more at OzoneHouse.org.
View the latest spotlights and more of what Ypsilanti has to offer at LiveNypsi.com.
