Ending Youth Homelessness in Troy, Elsberry, Winfield and Silex

THE KEY Youth Center is a community-driven, community-funded and a community-managed project established to serve homeless youth in Lincoln County, including all four county school districts (Troy, Winfield, Elsberry and Silex).

Thank you to our community partners, especially Jeff Sheets with CMS Homes LLC, for helping us complete construction of the lower level. Now, THE KEY has the capacity to provide safe shelter and support services for up to 14 youth who are at-risk of, or meet the criteria for, homelessness. THE KEY Youth Center effectively opens the door to educational advancement, viable employment and community integration by providing sustainable housing with individualized support services, such as, but not limited to, case management, access to physical and mental health care services, mentoring, life-skills coaching, and more.

Our residential services are designed for Lincoln County high school students, affording each young person their own bedroom, community kitchen, Toyota education and computer lab, laundry room and a game/recreation room. The Key also offers non-residential “drop-in” student services for Lincoln County youth who are at risk of homelessness.

The Key relies on community donations and support to achieve our mission of ending youth homelessness in Lincoln County. Please consider a one-time or monthly gift for the youth of Lincoln County.

“When I came to The Key, I was lost and didn’t think I would graduate. Now, I’m graduating. I have a job, a checking account and a future.”
—The Key resident testimonial

Homeless youth face numerous issues because of their age and lack of safe housing, including:

They are too young to obtain rental housing on their own; they simply do not have adequate income or savings to pay a deposit or monthly housing expenses.
Without job experience or personal identification with a stable address, they struggle to gain or improve upon their employment.
They have little to no access to health care, mental health services, legal support, or social services.
Often, their education is interrupted or curtailed.

Please consider joining our efforts to end youth homelessness today by supporting THE KEY Youth, Inc.