Orca Council's Teen Outreach Program, under the direction of Mary Grant, advocates with service providers on the youths’ behalf and helps youth meet their basic needs such as clothing, food, housing and hygiene items, and secondary needs such as education (including school supplies), employment, healthcare (including counseling), and transportation.
     Outreach services are one-on-one, free of charge and highly individualized. They may be as simple as opening Camp Fire’s Teen Clothing Closet for a youth to choose teen-appropriate clothing, or as complex as helping a 13-year old experience a healthy pregnancy, find daycare for her child, and re-enroll in school.

The Problem of Runaway Parents.
A common view of homeless or at-risk teens is that they are belligerent, out-of-control youth who defy parental rules and run away from home.
     In fact, it is often the parents who have “runaway” from their children, either literally or figuratively. These youth are often unaware of the resources available to them and/or lack the skills to access them. A 2002 University of Nebraska survey indicates that:

• 63% of “homeless youth” report having been physically and/or sexually abused prior
  to leaving home

• 85% report that one or both parents are addicted to alcohol and/or other drugs.