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Youth Connection reports shelter use, food shortages and nearly‑funded 12‑unit transitional housing project
Summary
At the Oct. 14 meeting, Youth Connection representative Donna Duke said county youth centers remain busy, reported service counts for September, described low food supplies, and said an application representing final funding for a 12‑unit transitional housing project was submitted this week.
MASON COUNTY, Wash. — Donna Duke, who works with the Youth Connection, gave the Mason County commissioners an update Oct. 14 on services to youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Duke said in September the Shelton youth center served 527 young people and the Belforest center served 15 young people. She told commissioners the organization helped four young people move into permanent housing and described continued high demand for take‑home food bags and daily meals; staff reported food supplies were “extremely low.”
The Youth Connection plans a community Thanksgiving meal and an annual Christmas giving tree that supplies gifts to more than 75 young people. Duke said local partners — including coffee stands, banks and Tea’s Café — are collecting donations to help through the holidays.
Duke also said that this week the Youth Connection submitted an application representing the final funding needed for a transitional housing project that would create 12 units of safe, supportive housing for youth. If awarded, she said, the project would be fully funded and ready to begin construction in early 2026. Duke characterized the funding milestone as the final step in a long process and thanked the county for its partnership.
The Youth Connection’s work continues to focus on shelter, meals and rapid exits to stable housing for young people in Mason County.
