A Safe Haven

The Rare Breed in Springfield offers a safe place for kids to go and a program whose goal is healthy independence. In just seven years, success is clear.

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For Katy Dunagan, life was heading in the wrong direction before she found The Rare Breed, a program of The Kitchen, Inc.
 

“I got kicked out of my last apartment,” Dunagan says. “I heard about The Rare Breed from one of my neighbors, and I came down to check it out.”
Rare Breed’s outreach center exists to reduce sexual abuse, exploitation and dangerous behaviors through individual personal development, role modeling and mentoring, empowerment, increased self-esteem, self-worth and safety for youth participants. It provides a shelter from the negative effects of homelessness.

Loni Brewer is the Street Outreach Program Supervisor and says she enjoys working with the youth at the center. She started as a volunteer and enjoys the company of the clients and the feeling that they are making a real difference.

“We do everything,” Brewer says. “We’ll refer a youth to all the pantries, someone goes through the Sunday paper and posts a job list, we provide referrals to other services and provide a good role model to the youth.”

Service is focused on the needs of the youth and that makes a difference in its effectiveness.

“We are here to serve the teenagers and we protect their right to confidentiality,” Brewer says. “Since we started, the number of runaways in Springfield has drastically decreased. It was one of the things that brought me here. They don’t feel that running away is a necessity anymore. This place has provided an outlet for them.”