Welcome!
Welcome to the Micah 6 Youth Drop-in Center website. Micah 6 of Austin is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization of eleven faith congregations working together to meets needs of the homeless and impoverished people in the City of Austin through facilities in the University of Texas area. It operates one of the largest food pantries in Travis County.
Micah 6 is now also focusing on street youth in the University area. These young people are struggling, and you can help. Becoming a volunteer host for street youth on a Sunday afternoon is a rewarding experience, and it can be scheduled as infrequently as once per quarter. Or maybe you would prefer to get some friends together to provide a nice meal. Read further.
Micah 6 is now also focusing on street youth in the University area. These young people are struggling, and you can help. Becoming a volunteer host for street youth on a Sunday afternoon is a rewarding experience, and it can be scheduled as infrequently as once per quarter. Or maybe you would prefer to get some friends together to provide a nice meal. Read further.
The Micah 6 Street Youth Program
THE COMPUTER CORNER STAYS BUSY
Micah 6 started the Street Youth Drop-in Center in January 2012. It has been open to street youth, aged 30 and younger, every Sunday afternoon from 2 to 6 PM.
The center is located in the lower floor of the University Baptist Church administration building (2107 San Antonio Street, one block west of the UT campus). It occupies two rooms: a large room with tables for dinner seating, games, etc. as well as for computer use, and the smaller “atrium room” now furnished with new leather sofas and love seats. We also provide small “kennels” for pet dogs and puppies outside.
The center is staffed by several hosts each Sunday, and it offers a safe, comfortable place for homeless youth in Austin to:
· Visit with friends and acquaintances
· Use any of the six computers with internet access that Micah 6 provides in the large room
Play games or engage in arts and crafts
· Rest, relax, stay cool in the summer & warm in the winter
· Nap and lounge on the sofas
· Use the rest rooms (very few are available to the homeless in the UT area)
· Get plenty of water & tea
· Get snacks and eat an early supper -- typically described as their best meal of the week.
The number of street youth using our center has sometimes appeared to be stabilizing, but other times is erratic. Even our core group of regulars changes, and sometimes for good reasons. Two young women who were with us very consistently through the spring and summer, for instance, are now attending college and are in an apartment, thanks primarily to Lifeworks, although they found some of their financial support using our computers. Here are simple attendance statistics for youth who ate supper at the center each week beginning in February. We have discovered that while the facilities seem large, they begin to feel crowded as the numbers approach 30.
Month (2012) Average per Week Highest Attendance Lowest Attendance
February 14 17 8
March 21 24 18
April 16 25 11
May 17 18 15
June 24 25 21
July 22 28 17
August 27 31 21
September 20 29 10
October 21 23 18
November 23 28 17
December 23 28 17
Month (2013)
January 23 26 18
February 23 30 12
March 25 30 18
April 23 24 20
May 20 24 15
The center is located in the lower floor of the University Baptist Church administration building (2107 San Antonio Street, one block west of the UT campus). It occupies two rooms: a large room with tables for dinner seating, games, etc. as well as for computer use, and the smaller “atrium room” now furnished with new leather sofas and love seats. We also provide small “kennels” for pet dogs and puppies outside.
The center is staffed by several hosts each Sunday, and it offers a safe, comfortable place for homeless youth in Austin to:
· Visit with friends and acquaintances
· Use any of the six computers with internet access that Micah 6 provides in the large room
Play games or engage in arts and crafts
· Rest, relax, stay cool in the summer & warm in the winter
· Nap and lounge on the sofas
· Use the rest rooms (very few are available to the homeless in the UT area)
· Get plenty of water & tea
· Get snacks and eat an early supper -- typically described as their best meal of the week.
The number of street youth using our center has sometimes appeared to be stabilizing, but other times is erratic. Even our core group of regulars changes, and sometimes for good reasons. Two young women who were with us very consistently through the spring and summer, for instance, are now attending college and are in an apartment, thanks primarily to Lifeworks, although they found some of their financial support using our computers. Here are simple attendance statistics for youth who ate supper at the center each week beginning in February. We have discovered that while the facilities seem large, they begin to feel crowded as the numbers approach 30.
Month (2012) Average per Week Highest Attendance Lowest Attendance
February 14 17 8
March 21 24 18
April 16 25 11
May 17 18 15
June 24 25 21
July 22 28 17
August 27 31 21
September 20 29 10
October 21 23 18
November 23 28 17
December 23 28 17
Month (2013)
January 23 26 18
February 23 30 12
March 25 30 18
April 23 24 20
May 20 24 15
Volunteering
We welcome volunteers! Every Sunday, we need volunteers to host youth at the center. You can schedule yourself online, or contact Craig Bell at [email protected] to schedule a time to visit and see what it's like. We do require completed background checks for all of our regular Drop-in Center Hosts. See our How to Volunteer page for more details.
We encourage congregations currently participating in Micah 6 to sign up for one Sunday every quarter to provide a hot, home-cooked meal for our youth (but anyone can volunteer to do this). You can rotate Sunday School classes, fellowship groups, committees or councils, or just get with some friends. See our Volunteer for Sunday Supper page for more details.
We encourage congregations currently participating in Micah 6 to sign up for one Sunday every quarter to provide a hot, home-cooked meal for our youth (but anyone can volunteer to do this). You can rotate Sunday School classes, fellowship groups, committees or councils, or just get with some friends. See our Volunteer for Sunday Supper page for more details.