homeless youth | Tedford Housing

Merrymeeting Project Finds Home at Midcoast Community Alliance

August 21, 2019 By Rota Knott Leave a Comment

Photo of Jamie Dorr and Donna Verhoeven via the Midcoast Community Alliance website.

Midcoast Community Alliance announced “a major expansion to its core offerings” with the addition of the Merrymeeting Project. Previously under the umbrella of Tedford Housing’s programs and services, but closed because of lack of funding, we are happy to see this important program for homeless youth find a new home.

“It was just a natural fit for Midcoast Community Alliance to host this extremely important service,” said MCA founder Jamie Dorr. “Bringing this organization—whose sole purpose is serving area youth in need—into the fold of MCA makes sense in every way.”

Read the full press release from Midocast Community Alliance and the article from the Times Record.

Free Screening of Paper Tigers Film on March 20th With Panel Discussion in Brunswick

March 8, 2016 By Rota Knott Leave a Comment

A free screening of Paper Tigers will be held on Sunday, March 20th at 3:00 pm in Crooker Theater at Brunswick High School on 116 Maquoit Road. The film will be followed by a brief discussion.

Tedford Housing’s outreach coordinator for the Merrymeeting Project for homeless youth, Donna Verhoeven, will be part of the panel discussion.

Paper Tigers gives viewers an intimate look at the lives of six at-risk students from Lincoln High School, an alternative school in Walla Walla, Washington. The film details new strategies, based on an understanding of adverse childhood experiences, that were implemented at the school and are helping improve student success, even among the most troubled. Read more about the movie

This event is co-hosted by Martin’s Point Health Care, Access Health, United Way of Mid Coast Maine and Brunswick School Department. The screening is one night only and is open to the public.

Watch the trailer:

Homeless Youth Program Receives two Grants

June 22, 2015 By Rota Knott

Donna-Niles and Craig M — Donna Verhoeven, Merrymeeting Homeless Youth Coordinator with Niles Dorn and Tedford Housing Board President Craig McEwen

Brunswick Student Submits Proposal to the Forest Foundation

Tedford Housing is pleased to announce the receipt of a $1,000 gift from the Forest Foundation, a private regional funder that works to foster the next generation of public service leaders through creative programming that give students the opportunity to engage in philanthropy. Niles Dorn, who is completing his freshman year at Brunswick High School, was given the opportunity to analyze local non-profit organizations and make a case to the Forest Foundation on where to give $1,000. Niles chose the Merrymeeting Homeless Youth Program, (MHYP)a partnership of Tedford Housing and three local school systems (Brunswick, Bath/RSU1 and Topsham/SAD75).

In his proposal submission to the foundation Niles said, “I wanted to donate to a nonprofit that really helped with major problems that can threaten life.” When Niles visited Tedford’s office he shared that he was impressed with the success of MHYP citing the fact that seven out of eight high school seniors who worked with Tedford’s MHYP Outreach Coordinator Donna Verhoeven graduated from high school last year. Niles also noted that during his interview with Tedford’s Board President Craig McEwen, he learned about the recent reduction in public funding for MHYP. “I realized that $1,000 would make a big difference to this program.”

Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet Foundation Awards $2,500 for Summer Youth Programming

Tedford Housing also received a $2,500 grant award from Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet Foundation for summer support for homeless youth. Tedford’s application to the MainStreet Foundation highlighted the additional difficulties faced by homeless students in the summer when they do not have many of the support resources available as they do during the school year. The MainStreet Foundation awards grants to organizations working with at-risk youth.