Lighthouse Youth and Family Services: Mecum House is a 24-hour shelter for youth aged 10-17 who are experiencing homelessness. It provides a safe place to go for children who are abused, neglected, or for any reason feel unsafe in their homes. Residents of Mecum House are provided are provided with a room, meals, snacks, and are able to participate in a variety of educational and recreational activities. It also provides a 24-hour youth crisis hotline as well as individual, family, and group counseling services. Youth are able to stay at Mecum House for as long as they need to until they are able to find a safe place to live.
My main responsibility as an intern was mostly to serve as an extra youth care worker. This entailed helping out wherever I was most useful. A typical day would consist of helping to prepare and serve meals to youth, accompanying youth and staff on outings, helping to settle arguments between residents, logging medications, and most importantly, taking time to build relationships with the staff and residents.
My other role this summer was to serve as a health resource for residents at Mecum House. Most of the youth at Mecum House do not regularly see a physician and have had very little health education. I helped to address any health-related questions or concerns that youth had while they were staying at Mecum House. I helped bandage wounds and treat minor injuries, counseled individual residents about the importance of prenatal care and the importance of taking psychiatric medications consistently, and offered advice wherever possible. I also reviewed intake notes to make sure that any health conditions the youth had were being properly addressed.
By far the most impactful part of my experience was being form connections with the residents. At the beginning of the summer many of them were guarded around me, but as the summer progressed and they got to know me they began to open up a lot more. They were genuine and hones without me about both health-related and non-health-related concerns. Some moments were hilarious, and some were heart-breaking, but I learned something from each of them. Prior to this, I did not have any real experience working with homeless youth. Hearing the kids talk so honestly about the abuse and neglect they experienced and learning about how hard it can be for them to get the healthcare that they need made me reflect on the ways in which I want to work with my future patients, especially those who have dealt with trauma or who are experiencing homelessness themselves.
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