(SAVANNAH, GA) Park Place Outreach Youth Emergency Shelter announces that Kenneth J. Brown has joined the organization as coordinator of the Street Outreach Program. Brown has spent more than two decades working in the social services field, most recently as a residential case manager at AmericanWork, Inc. and as a houseparent at Park Place Outreach.
Brown, a Savannah native and 1986 graduate of Savannah High School, received a bachelor of science degree in social work with a minor in recreation from Savannah State University. He is also Crisis/Preventive Intervention (CPI) certified.
Brown began his career at Tidelands Mental Health, where he served as an outdoor therapeutic counselor and substance abuse counselor. During his tenure at Tidelands, Brown counseled at-risk teens on family and peer issues such as drug interventions and facilitated the organization’s Genesis program, a wilderness program for teens with substance abuse problems.
Brown later served as the child care supervisor at St. Mary’s Group Home for Boys and Girls, where he monitored and supervised the residents and staff. He held that position for 12 years until the facility closed. He went on to serve as residential case manager at AmericanWork, Inc., an adult mental health services agency, where he monitored and assisted the residents in their daily living.
For the past three-and-a-half years, Brown has worked part time as a houseparent at Park Place Outreach.
“Kenneth has spent many years working with some of the most vulnerable youth in our community,” said Park Place Outreach Executive Director Linda Hilts. “His expertise in the social services field and compassion are a tremendous asset to Park Place Outreach.”
The Street Outreach program has been funded on and off since 1997. Park Place Outreach recently received a $121,654 per year grant for three years to re-fund the program, which serves teens and young adults up to age 21 through counseling and a drop-in center.
“The Street Outreach Program will allow Park Place Outreach to reach some of the most vulnerable young people in our community — those at risk of being exploited as runaway or homeless,” Brown said. “My expertise working with kids of many diversities will assist me in my goals to help get kids off of the streets and into suitable placement.”
About Park Place Outreach, Inc.
Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter, located at 514 E. Henry St., provides support for troubled children and teens in Savannah and the surrounding area. The shelter is open 24 hours a day to youth in crisis, adolescents who are homeless, young people who have been abused and runaway youth. The shelter is also a valuable resource for youth who may be contemplating ways to run away. Opened in 1984 as Marshlands Foundation, Inc. (dba the Savannah Runaway Home), Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter provides counseling and other services to boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 17. The organization’s goal is to keep kids off the street and reunify families whenever possible.
Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter is an equal opportunity provider and employer. This program is supported in part by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Department of Human Services, City of Savannah, United Way, FEMA and other community resources. For more information, please visit http://parkplaceyes.org or search for “Park Place Outreach” on Facebook. An informational video about Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter is available at YouTube by searching for “Park Place Outreach – Youth Emergency Shelter.”