BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — For years, Youth Oasis has been providing safety and a sanctuary to many youths in the Baton Rouge community, but with funding shortages and financial instabilities, some of those vital programs are at stake.
According to Wallet Hub, Louisiana is one of the first states at most at risk for poverty, violence, and homelessness, a problem Youth Oasis is working to address.
The non-profit organization has seen a surge amongst young adults since the pandemic. Executive Director Tekoah Boatner says the organization’s needs are crucial.
“We’ve seen our annual client rolls go from 100 and about 20 kids a year to 250 kids a year. And so that has produced a really, really big strain for those most vulnerable youth now that we’re impacted,” said Executive Director Tekoah Boatner.
Without immediate financial support the organization could be forced to cut back on services.
“Our big focus is besides my job of fundraising and getting the word out has been to make sure that the kids don’t feel like another bridge or another link in the chain has failed,” said Boatner.
Organizers say a lot can change with just a couple of helping hands from the community. Donate | Youth Oasis
