LET’S FOCUS MORE ON TRYING TO HELP HOMELESS YOUTH

When Joanne Newgard graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with her degree in social work and psychology in 1982, she envisioned a career helping abused children in foster care like those she’d met during an internship.

But an advantageous job opportunity with a Wall Street investment advisory firm enticed her into a financial sector career that rewarded her with challenge, growth and, eventually, the then-rare privilege of working remotely when she relocated to the West Coast.

She was able to work from home in New York City, allowing her to be an available and involved mother to her two children in the afternoons. Newgard was the carpool mom and the mom who welcomed her children’s friends. Her home was always the house where people would come to hang out and was always the house that was open for young people.

Thirty years later, it was time to retire and start a new adventure. In 2016, she made her way to the San Diego area and started searching for a volunteer opportunity while she considered consulting and other paid employment options. She heard about the San Diego-based nonprofit Doors of Change and its mission to get homeless youth off the streets, and felt the pull of her early career intentions. She went on a couple of outreach walks and visited the nonprofit’s flagship program at the time. Jeffrey Sitcov — who founded the local charity in 2001 that rebranded as Doors of Change in 2013 — met her for the first time on an outreach several years ago. She was impressed by how effectively the organization’s leadership and volunteers connected with homeless youth, helping get more than 2,600 of them in safe housing and off the streets over the years.

She started volunteering regularly, combing the streets of Ocean Beach and distributing water, lunches and white socks to young people we assumed may be homeless due to presence of dirty clothes, backpack and sleeping bag.

In 2017, she was asked to join the staff as program director.

Now 63, Newgard says she approaches homeless youth with concern, compassion and acceptance. She believes that when you’re trying to help someone help themselves, you really have to accept where they’re at. She does that without judgment. And then she waits. Her experience has showed her that if they know you’re not judging them and you’re accepting them with all their problems and, at times, their poor choices, there’s an opportunity for them to come around because they know that someone cares about them regardless of their situation.

Doors of Change works with homeless youth — ages 17 to 25. It’s an underserved segment of the homeless population that is largely misunderstood and subjected to unrealistic expectations by those who think they should just get a job.

Not everybody gets to have the same start in life. Most of the homeless youth Doors of Change helps come from home situations that are dysfunctional. They have parents who are addicts or abusive or who reject them for being LGBTQ. Many are forced to leave home with no understanding of what it takes to be a successful adult.

Doors of Change helps them in myriad ways, according to individual needs. The organization partners with more than 60 other local agencies, helping youth access long-term housing, health care, substance abuse treatment, mental health counseling, education, jobs and job training, transportation, and much more.

It can be a long-term process. After a homeless youth has been placed into housing, found employment or had other needs met, there can be setbacks. Cars break down, cellphones need replacement, family drama can trigger emotional turmoil or worse. Doors of Change is committed to helping youth with ongoing challenges.

As program director, Newgard always answers her phone, regardless of the time, for homeless youth. She understands the importance of immediate response for the youth. For many of these youth, there is no parent to turn to when a crisis pops up. They get to a point where they just lose hope. Doors of Change instills hope in these young people, because of the care they are given.

If you’re inspired by Newgard’s compassion, you’re not alone. The Cardiff resident was honored last fall by a San Diego organization at its annual Women of the Year event. She was selected as Woman of the Year in the Public Servant category. Newgard has used the recognition to encourage other women to embrace their natural intuition and draw strength from the circles of women that surround them.

Newgard insists that we all have a stake in solving youth homelessness. “It takes all of us,” she remarked in her acceptance speech. “It takes a community to care. And all of us should. It’s an investment in our tomorrow.”

Visit doorsofchange.org to learn more about Doors of Change.

Most of the local homeless youth helped by Doors of Change come from dysfunctional homes. They often have parents who are addicts or abusive.