Showers, laundry available to homeless teens in Davis School District

KAYSVILLE – A ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of the final teen center installment in the Davis School District took place at Davis High School Wednesday.

The project, spearheaded by the David Educational Foundation, aimed to place teen centers in each high school across the county.

Davis County experiences an epidemic of disproportionate homeless students, with over 1,300 known students to be without a stable home currently.

Beginning in 2021, 11 centers have been installed in the last four years, including one youth center for younger children. Davis High School was the final leg of the project.

Becoming emotional, executive director Jodi Lundt explained the overwhelming support the project has received from the community.

"I am humbled at the compassion, the empathy and the generosity in Davis County," she said. "To complete 10 centers in shorter than four years, is, it's insurmountable. And I thought it might be insurmountable. But, what we found it to be is incredible."

Teen centers provide the daily needs many of us take advantage of, from laundry services and showers to food pantries and a quiet area to study.

Davis High School's Dart Den and other centers also provide tutoring, career services and mental health counseling.

Davis High School site coordinator Emily Wildling said the center provides a big difference for students in need.

"It can be a pivot point for these kids, as they haven't had anyone to be an advocate for them. To help them, to guide them through the process of everything from college applications to just helping them to be able to pass their classes," she said. "It's been a great way for these students to be able to get that push that they need to, to get in the right direction."

The Davis Educational Foundation said 63 out of 65 students using the services last year graduated from high school.

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