Dan Wachtler and Ron Ofstead met at White Bear Lake Unitarian Universalist Church and identified a need for their church’s social justice committee to focus on youth homelessness. With a congregation connection to Tubman, and Dan and Ron’s passion for this work, a partnership was soon formed culminating in the launch of NorthStar Youth Outreach Center (NSYOC) at Harriet Tubman Center East in 2016. Two years later NSYOC moved to Maplewood Mall, providing a more convenient drop-in location for youth experiencing homelessness, violence, and trafficking. This wouldn’t have been possible without Dan and Ron’s deep passion for cultivating an impactful response by engaging various local faith communities, to support unhoused youth in the East metro.
Just as NSYOC was hitting its stride with many volunteers eager to support youth in our community, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and NSYOC was forced to temporarily close before reopening on a limited basis. Almost ten years since its opening, Dan and Ron remain committed to NSYOC. They see a desperate need for youth to be supported, seen, and valued in our community, and believe that their dream of expanding NSYOC’s space and open hours to be the same hours as the mall is possible with the community’s support. Now that Tubman has a full time manager dedicated to this program, the dream is closer to reality, but there is still a long way to go.
According to Dan and Ron, finding enough active volunteers to support youth seeking safety, hope, and healing remains a challenge. “I hope we can continue to keep people engaged, and aware of the fact there is a need there, and adults in the community can help,” said Ron. To read more about Dan and Ron, or to inquire about volunteering at NSYOC, go to our website at: tubman.org/northstar.
If you'd like to learn more about NorthStar Youth Outreach Center and how you can support youth, check out our recently published summer newsletter.
