Shaw House to open teen transitional program

BANGOR – For Shaw House Director Doug Bouchard, the toughest thing is to watch homeless teens walk out the front door headed for who knows where.

Although staff at the low-barrier shelter work hard to find them a permanent place to live, kids often end up back on the streets because they have nowhere else to go.

But all that will change this week when Shaw House opens a transitional housing program for teen-agers who need a place to call home.

“We got tired of having no other options,” said Bouchard, who came up with the idea and spent the last two years “scrimping and saving” to make his vision a reality.

On Friday, during an open house, the staff proudly presented the newly renovated living quarters on the third floor of the Shaw House.

Open to four boys and four girls under age 18, the facilities for the transitional program are completely separate from the shelter that occupies the lower levels.

With start-up costs of $50,000, the program’s annual budget will be $450,000 a year, paid for by Medicaid and the state, Bouchard said.

The program is voluntary, but rules definitely apply, program manager Amy McCormick said Friday.

On hand 24 hours a day, staff will need to know where and with whom the teen-agers are at all times “to give them the sense that they care about them.”

The message is, “I won’t let you be sucked back into the destructive life and this is what we’ll do to keep that from happening,” McCormick said.

Participants are expected to work toward their high school diploma or GED, abide by a curfew, complete chores and attend at least two workshops a week to learn living skills like budgeting, balancing a checkbook and preparing meals. The teen-agers also will be required to eat dinner together each night.

“The program is important but you can’t ignore what’s going to make them buy in and feel comfortable,” said McCormick as she showed off the freshly painted bedrooms, one for each teen-ager.

With a bright bedspread, at least one large window and handsome pine furniture made by Bill Mason of Levant, Shaw House’s contractor, the area is the perfect retreat. A “welcome kit” filled with toiletries awaited someone’s eager inspection.

“This is more than most of these kids ever had,” said McCormick, who became especially excited about the program when she learned that each teen-ager would have his or her own space.

“That makes a huge difference,” she said. “It eliminates problems with roommate issues.”

The facilities also include sitting rooms for both the boys’ and the girls’ quarters, a large kitchen and a library with three computer stations and a space for bookshelves.

“We’ll invest in the classics – in things they’ve never been exposed to before,” said McCormick, who plans to discuss book choices with the teens. “We’ll be careful” that the selections are appropriate, she assured. “But we want the kids to have a say.”

Beaming as she greeted guests in the large, whitewashed foyer, Cheri Stacy, chair of the board of directors for Shaw House, pronounced the set-up perfect.

“This is what [the building] was meant for,” she said. “We’re so excited to be able to offer kids another level of service. Kids who never had anything of their own except what could fit in a backpack now have a place to put their stuff and know that it will be there tomorrow. And they have someone to teach them the ways of the world.”

Participants, most of whom likely will be in state custody, could begin moving in as early as Tuesday, according to McCormick.

Meanwhile, staff will do whatever it takes to get the kids back to a natural support system.

“No matter how great this program is, it’s not a replacement for mom and dad,” McCormick said.