NEKCA / Parent Child Center South

Address: 70 Main Street
Newport, VT 05855-5110 Phone: (802) 334-7316 Fax: (802) 7486042 Email: pccsouth@nekca.org Website: http://nekcavt.org/

Jan Rossier – Director

NEKCA serves more than 6,000 moderate-to-low income families in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Our Mission: Believing in each individual's potential for positive growth and change, NEKCA is committed to empowering those who seek assistance to improve the quality of their lives, and provides direct program activities, referrals, advocacy, and education in a non-judgmental manner to the people of the communities in the Northeast Kingdom. CAYS Transition Services: This program provides life skills instructions both individually and in group settings to youth transitioning from foster care and for youth who are homeless or without help of their legal guardian. The CAYS staff helps youth find safe living placement, assesses of life skills, strengths and needs, provides emotional support, guidance and advocacy and referral sources and coordinates with other agencies’ services. Runaway Program: This program serves 12-18 year old youths and their families with support and advocacy to families in crisis. The Runaway program provides intervention to teens and their parents, which may sometimes include short-term alternative living arrangements in an appropriate community Shelter Home if no family and/or friends can be located. Services also include individual and family counseling, respect for all family members and confidentiality. VYDC AmeriCorps NEKCA Youth Services, in collaboration with the Vermont Coalition Of Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, began the Vermont Youth Development Corps (VYDC), a joint project with AmeriCorps. The VYDC is using a youth development approach to prevent violence and encourage healthy alternatives. CAYS AmeriCorps members help supervise the Teen Center and help support the youth in our community. Street Outreach: The Peer Outreach Workers provide teens with information on personal safety and well-being. They have helped plan events and activities that provide positive and healthy experiences for young people. They are both active members of the Teen Center. They offer a resource guide specifically for teens and they help facilitate referrals to appropriate agencies. The Teen Center is free to all youth age 13 to 19; it provides a safe place for youth to meet, talk and participate in positive and healthy recreational activities. Teen Parent Education provides education services to teens so they can earn their High School Diploma or G.E.D.