NEPA Youth Shelter in Scranton is set to reopen on Thursday with new facilities and resources for teens.
SCRANTON, Pa. — New lights, a fresh coat of paint, and a brand new building are part of the grand reopening of NEPA Youth Shelter in Scranton.
“I want the kids to know that we didn’t give up on them. We’re here, we’ve been serving them since the school year started out in the parking lot, and now this is our gift to them,” said Executive Director John Rosengrant.
Staff are in the final stretch of what’s been a long-awaited return.
After the organization was founded in 2016, Rosengrant says the nonprofit had to shut down in 2024 after its prior location on Wyoming Avenue was sold.
Now in its new home along Providence Road, Rosengrant says they are almost ready to reopen doors.
“It’s been a long time coming because we had to put a lot of renovations into this space. Uh, a lot of what you see here, uh, has been totally built up,” said Rosengrant.
From a fully operational food pantry, to a stocked clothing room, and a place to wash them.
The shelter also provides an after-school center where high school students can grab food, pick up personal care products, and other essentials.
Rosengrant says teens in the community will have almost all of the resources they need to succeed.
“We are a company here that gives them a meal,” said Rosengrant. “We give them a place to be that’s safe and, you know, especially for LGBTQ youth, gives them a space where they could belong.”
Rosengrant says the grand reopening of NEPA Youth Shelter is set for this Thursday.