There are youth in our community who lack the building blocks and support to help them succeed. This puts them at risk for becoming homeless, unemployed, engaging in alcohol and drug abuse, unplanned pregnancies, as well as untreated mental health issues.
Pivot works with young people lacking stability in their lives. They are sometimes homeless or couch homeless, alone or disengaged. Many live with damaging labels and shame. Almost all are ages 12 to 21 and have overwhelming barriers in their lives without the resources to overcome them and successfully transition into self-reliant adults.
Pivot provides programs and services that focus on meeting housing and basic needs; education and job assistance; mentoring and life skills development; prevention and intervention services; and therapeutic care. Pivot takes a youth-driven, strengths based, trauma responsive approach to empowering youth to transition into self-sufficient adults.
We are a Turning Point for Youth.
For almost 50 years, Pivot, A Turning Point for Youth, has supported youth in our community. This spring, we are adding another service to better meet their needs. The Point at Pivot is a drop-in center and emergency shelter designed to assist young people experiencing homelessness.
According to the 2019 Point in Time Count, there are approximately 85 unsheltered youth under the age of 24 each night in OKC. Pivot and a number of community partners recognize that not only is the number actually higher, it is unacceptable to leave youth unsheltered, exposed to the elements and at-risk each night.
Each year, Pivot hosts a holiday party for our clients. We know that because of circumstances in their lives, this may be the only party many of them attend or the only opportunity they have to receive gifts.
Many of the youth we serve don’t have happy memories of the holidays or family traditions they look forward to each year. They may spend these significant days alone or feeling they have nothing to celebrate.
We believe they can find joy in the holidays and we plan a party each year to help them relax and enjoy some of the season for at least an afternoon. Pivot team members work for weeks planning every detail of the event to ensure it’s a wonderful experience for all who attend.
