New Member Profile: Hosea Youth Services
Brad Bills and the staff at Hosea Youth Services
Meet Brad Bills, Director at Hosea Youth Services.
Tell us a little about Hosea Youth Services.
Hosea Youth Services serves homeless and vulnerable young people ages 16-24. From our day-use Resource Center located at the corner of 8th and Monroe in Eugene, we offer two hearty meals a day, clothing, toiletries, outdoor supplies, showers, laundry services, computer access, and a safe place off the streets. While we provide many physical services, most importantly we strive to develop relationships, learn stories, and do all we can to assist our young guests in getting off the streets and moving toward lives of health and purpose.
Who are the young people you are serving?
The young people we serve overwhelmingly come from homes which were filled with abuse, abandonment, generational poverty, addiction, and trauma. Once you learn their story, you begin to understand why they are on the streets – why they medicate with drugs and alcohol and why they are making destructive choices. But we also learn they have hope of a better life, so we do all we can to assist and encourage them to make good choices and to work through the various barriers in their lives. If we can “catch” them now, we hope to keep them from becoming chronically homeless.
How many young people do you serve?
In 2022, we have had over 7,500 visits serving over 450 different young people. We have served well over 10,000 meals, provided nearly 3,000 showers, and washed over 800 loads of laundry.
Are there any success stories you would like to share?
Laura [assumed name] is a young woman who was very regular at our Center. She was struggling with addiction, an unhealthy relationship, and life on the streets. Then she got pregnant. We connected her to Willamette Families, she got clean, delivered her baby, has remained sober, and is in housing. She shared with me, “I couldn’t have done it without you guys.” This is truly a success story.
How can the community get involved or help?
We have several different ways to volunteer and are always looking for people who can be consistent and caring. There are some nice ways to be involved in assisting with our meal prep. We are always in need of clothing, toiletries, and outdoor supplies. And as a privately funded organization, we welcome financial contributions. Check out our website or contact Brad Bills with any questions.
Hosea Youth Services (HYS) is a nonprofit that was born on the streets of Eugene in 1995 in response to the growing number of hungry and homeless youth. Since then, they have transformed what started as a meals service into a multi-faceted effort to help at-risk and homeless youth build and sustain healthy and purposeful lives away from the streets. HYS seeks to provide a safe place to meet the basic needs of homeless and at-risk youth and offer hope, friendship, referral services, encouragement, some financial support and spiritual encouragement for those who are interested. Visit their website for more information.
