Homeless youth shelter shows off new look Homeless youth shelter shows off new look (July 23, 2004)

Safe haven for troubled kids hosts open house

By Julie O'Shea

From the outside, the gray house with faded green trim looks like every other house along quiet, tree-lined Old Mountain View. But it's no ordinary home.

The two-story house, dubbed Casa SAY, is one of Santa Clara Country's safe havens for homeless and runaway youth. The intense 30-day program, which is part of Social Advocates for Youth's nonprofit organization, focuses on family reunification and counseling.

For the first time in its 17-year history, Casa SAY is opening its doors to the public during an open house July 22 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Two years' worth of renovations to the house at 509 View St. recently came to an end, and excited program staffers can't wait to show off their new digs to the neighborhood.

"It's like a showcase house almost," program director Andre Burnett said of the newly repainted, re-floored and re-accessorized building. Eighty percent of the home's new items -- things like a flat screen television, new Dell computer and a comfy navy blue sofa -- were donated or given to Casa SAY at a reduced cost, the program director noted.

Colorful work from contemporary artists as well as framed reprints from some of the masters adorn the freshly painted living room walls and line the stairwells. There is new carpeting throughout the house. In the kitchen, there is new black-marble countertops and bamboo flooring covers the second floor, where there are three bedrooms, one with a country western theme. And on the main floor, another bedroom has a jungle theme; a "comfort" bear sits on one of the trundle beds.

"It's kind of a cool room," Burnett said.

Donna Dunwoody with Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit group dedicated to rebuilding houses, acted as Casa SAY's volunteer project manager for the overhaul. Dunwoody helped secure donations and discounts from local businesses.

With 80 to 100 teens traipsing though the house annually, it was time for a makeover, Burnett said. "That's a lot of wear and tear," he added.

There are currently three teens living in the View Street house right now with two more going through a screening process to see if they are eligible, Burnett said. To be eligible, teens must agree to attend school on a daily basis, go to counseling and help around around the house.

At full capacity, the home has room for eight at-risk youth. Most who show up on the doorstep of Casa SAY are referred to the program by a parent or teacher, but Burnett said he and his staff of eight (at least one of whom is stationed at the house 24 hours a day, seven days a week) would never turn a child away if he or she came looking for help.

This could be a teen who's afraid to go home because he'd broken curfew again or a child who comes to the house staff with allegations of family abuse, said Bea Lopez, the director of Social Advocates for Youth, which oversees the Casa SAY program.

Burnett said Casa SAY sees an influx of youth in the fall and around the holidays, when the idea of a "perfect family" is a constant presence from Hallmark cards to television specials.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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