Port in the Storm Homeless Youth Center’s the Keys of Hope Gala will be held June 28 from 6 to 10 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Ancient City Farmstead.
Celebrating six years of housing homeless youth, the inaugural event features music, a silent and live auction, a key raffle for a treasure chest “filled” with treasures, drinks and all things delicious from St. Augustine’s Bronx House Pizza.
Falling under the umbrella of The St. Augustine Society Inc., Port in the Storm provides housing and drop-in services for homeless youth. Services include 24 beds, showers, food, life skills and jobs skills training and housing assistance to help youth achieve stability and sidestep chronic homelessness and housing insecurity.
As noted on the website, these services facilitate access to temporary shelter and connect those in need with employment opportunities that foster independence and self-sufficiency.
Joy Case, St. Augustine Society’s director of development, said the gala will support the center’s critical work of assisting vulnerable youth coping with complex situations.
“Thanks to the support of our donors, 100 percent of the youth in our program are currently engaging in therapy, 85 percent are employed, and several are working towards college and/or enlisting in the military,” she said in a news release.
Case said the center doesn’t just feed and house clients overnight before sending them back to the streets.
“Our professional staff works to create an individualized plan with long-term solutions to help them find safe, permanent, and stable housing,” she said.
Bruno DiFabio, owner of Bronx House Pizza said that he was honored to help with the Keys of Hope Gala.
“I grew up in an underprivileged family with an abusive father, so I would volunteer every day after school to get away from home,” he said in the release. “The St. Augustine Society is near and dear to my heart – we cook for them monthly and take any opportunity we can to be involved. I’m a huge advocate for being involved in the local community.”
Touting its tag line, “From Streets to Stability: Empowering Individuals with Hope and Support,” Port in the Storm opened its doors in 2019 with 16 beds. The St. Augustine Society added eight more beds in 2024. To date, between 28 to 32 youth are housed at the center daily.
“Programs provide a path forward through life skills training, job-readiness assistance, help in securing long-term housing, and the support of a trusted advisor,” they said on their website.
The gala is sponsored by Bronx House Pizza, Ancient City Farmstead, Ameris Bank, Ancient City Accounting and CVB Cares. To purchase tickets, donate, or inquire about sponsorships, go to https://tinyurl.com/3dtmcnhx.
St. Augustine’s Ancient City Farmstead is located at 395 St. Marks Pond Blvd.
This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Gala in St. Augustine will support Port in the Storm homeless youth center
Reporting by Lucia Viti, St. Augustine Record / St. Augustine Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
