Off the streets

On a recent morning, Josh Neese was hanging out in Bidwell Park, hungry and without a place to go. This was nothing new to Neese, who at 20 years old has spent most of his life on the streets, and relies on local organizations for many of his basic needs. So when he heard about Youth for Justice, a new program hosted at the Chico Peace and Justice Center on Wednesdays and Sundays, he immediately headed over to check it out.

“The first thing they did is offer me food and coffee,” Neese recalled during an interview at CPJC on Sunday (July 19). “I knew it would be very friendly because they put off a good energy. I had no worries coming in here; I knew I could tell them about my past.”

Originally from Tennessee, Neese has been in Chico for about six months. Aside from “three good years” when he had a job in Redding, he has been without a home of his own.

Just how many young homeless people like Neese are in the area is difficult to say. Jennifer Barzey, program manager at the 6th Street Center for Youth, said her organization sees more than 300 homeless youth—ages 14 to 24—each year, but that number accounts only for those who choose to check in.

“It’s a difficult number to get just because of the nature of young people,” she said. “Some don’t want to be seen.”

Youth for Justice was created by local homeless advocate Bill Mash through a partnership with the CPJC. Its goal is to provide a safe, open space during gaps in service at the 6th Street Center, which is closed on weekends and on Wednesdays until noon. While the program currently serves homeless people ages 18-24, Mash is looking for ways to expand that age group and let younger people into the program.

Since launching in mid-May, Mash and a group of volunteers have opened CPJC’s doors every Wednesday and Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m.

Mash, 55, has long advocated for homeless people but recently refocused his effort on young adults, partially because of his personal connection with them.

“I was a homeless youth—I was a runaway,” Mash said. “Youth for Justice was a recommendation made by Olivia Schmidt, co-director at the center. The placeholder name was originally ‘Youth for Peace.’ She thought, and I concurred, that ‘justice’ was more action-oriented and would spark a different feeling than ‘peace’ would. Like taking action—getting justice.”

On a recent Sunday afternoon at the CPJC, Mash sat at a table chatting with Youth for Justice clients, greeting those who came in by name and encouraging them to grab some snacks or a cup of coffee. Mash’s warmth and interest is part of what makes Neese feel so welcome at Youth for Justice.

“He has this uplifting energy,” Neese said. “He’s always happy and that really helps when you’re down on yourself … I’m always generally happy—it’s all about perspective—but it’s cool to see people like that.”

Mash is hoping to expand Youth for Justice’s services by hiring personal and crisis-management counselors. He is selling copies of his DVD, Poor People’s Film Festival, at the center, with all proceeds going to Youth for Justice. The film chronicles the lives and plights of homeless people, mostly from Butte County.

Aramenta Hawkins, co-director of the CPJC, said her organization partnered with Mash because it has the accommodations, staff and volunteers, as well as the desire to serve local homeless people.

“In Chico, we see people in poverty every day, whether people want to acknowledge it or not,” she said. “When 6th Street is closed, there is still a need for a place where youth can just have a safe space where people are not judging them, where they can talk to someone.

“When they walk through these doors, they know they’re not being judged. They come in here knowing this is for them.”