Spectrum Bars Youth from Loitering, Housing Still a Problem by Anthony Carace

BURLINGTON, VT - While Burlington prides itself as a close, tight-knit community, there is no denying that even its most innocent and unassuming citizens are subject to hazards that may sneak up on them. Of these, drug abuse and homelessness are among the most prominent dangers because they are usually unseen by those they afflict. They may strike without warning—perhaps a family is fed up with a child’s outbursts and attitude—and they are usually crippling. Luckily, Burlington has a slew of organizations devoted to helping at-risk and underprivileged youth get back on their feet. At the forefront of this assistance movement, Spectrum Youth and Family Services is one of the most well-known, with a multi-faceted view of how to help those young people who might endanger themselves.

Spectrum’s Drop-In Center, located on Pearl Street in Burlington, is an off-shoot of the main organization, a place for those who do not have a place to go. The tradition has been for kids, ranging from 14 to 21 years old, to use the front stoop as a hang-out spot, a place where they might while away the hours before moving elsewhere. This has not gone unnoticed by Spectrum staff, who have posted restrictions on when and why youth may hang out by the entrance. Spectrum’s goal is to provide immediate assistance, including shelter and food, to youth who are completely at rope’s end in terms of solutions and alternatives to their current lifestyle. However, this goal isn’t always recognized by kids who aren’t even sure what they need to do to get help. “A lot of young people have come to see this as a hot spot to hang out,” said Bridget Everts, drop-in coordinator at Spectrum. “We’re trying to be mindful of our presentation as a community organization.”

Once, kids congregated in front of the Pearl Street Drop-In Center en masse; up to twenty at a time could be seen milling around the entrance, all with the same intent: to pass the time before they are forced to go somewhere else. “That’s not what we’re trying to do here,” said Everts. “We don’t ask questions, but the kids need to know what they want.” Now, one is hard pressed to find young people standing at the doors in waiting, unless they are smoking a cigarette.

Spectrum has delivered stern warning to kids who choose to take advantage of its front door rather than its counseling and housing services. Several signs on the front window of the building serve as notice that loitering will not be tolerated. A young person caught hanging around the front entrance will be denied a bed for three days; if further offenses are accounted for, beds may be denied for even longer. “We’re not trying to drive people away,” said Everts. “Our doors are open to everyone…they just need to come in.” While the effectiveness of the signs might be in question, the resolve of Spectrum is not. Their goal is to allow kids fluid life-transitions after experiencing hardships; they are not simply a place for kids to while away the hours.

“It just sets off some unpleasant feelings for people when they hear kids swearing up and down the block,” said Everts. The Spectrum Drop-In Center is located in between the Chinese food restaurant Fu Da and Parima, on the corner of South Winooski Avenue and Pearl Street. Such an area is frequented by citizens and tourists alike; Burlington Police Department officers don’t have a standing presence there, but they can be called in if an individual becomes disruptive or violent. “We don’t tolerate fighting or violence,” said Everts. “That’s not the kind of place we’re trying to promote ourselves as.”

Kids look to Spectrum’s help for a variety of reasons, noted Everts. Drugs, abuse, or simply because a youth was kicked out of the house—there is no one cause as to why kids turn to Spectrum, and the organization doesn’t ask a lot of in-depth questions when a youth comes knocking. “Our job is to help these kids reconnect with their families,” said Everts. “We don’t point any fingers, and we try to be as un-invasive as possible.”

Where, then, do at-risk youth go if they choose not to enter Spectrum’s shelter? For many, the choices are limited. “It’s hard knowing where they go because a lot of them don’t talk to us,” said Everts. One of the most difficult parts in solving the mystery of youth run-aways and hazards is knowing what becomes of the kids when they’re denied access and entry to Spectrum. “Run-aways can be picked up by the police, but that doesn’t really solve anything,” said Everts. “They’re still without a home.”

Spectrum’s Drop-In Center hours are from 10 am to 6 pm, so there is a limited amount of time that a young person can seek help from the organization. The signs themselves, whose warning appear dubious, may actually be working in keeping kids away from the building when it isn’t open for business. However, the question of where these kids go when Spectrum isn’t there to help still remains. According to Everts, no one really knows. She said there are a lot of place in the city for kids to go, and that makes it difficult to track kids down and, more importantly, check on their condition. If there is a warrant out for a kid’s arrest, it is the responsibility of the police department to deal with the offender. Still, kids and at-risk youth should know that Spectrum Youth and Family Services is there to help; certain rules must be followed, but the goal remains the same—to give the wayward a base they can use to reestablish themselves.