By Eric Jaramishian, Mountain Democrat

New Morning Youth & Family Services 24-hour, 7-day emergency youth shelter off Ray Lawyer Drive in Placerville has served as a safe haven for at-risk youth in El Dorado County since 2011.

A place to sleep, eat, receive family counseling and reconnect youth to their families are some services the nonprofit provides at the 12-bed Ashby House for runaways, homeless and struggling youth.

Now shelter managers are seeking help from the community to fund a new roof, which has started to leak in various places in the building.

“We are asking all the local businesses, churches, any organizations that can help,” said Shawna Salvo, acting as New Morning’s public relations liaison.

The shelter, which services 12 children or teens at any given time, operates on a $2 million budget and is funded through El Dorado County, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and various other sources for its operations.

During a recent visit, the Mountain Democrat saw “bubbling” in one of the roofs of a room as a result of the leaks.

Estimates given to the shelter from various construction companies show repairs to the 3,622-square-foot roof will cost between $32,000-$43,000. One project summary suggests staff prepare to place emergency tarps on the roof to prevent any additional leaks.

“We would rather get the money so we can have the whole thing redone right now, but we are making do for now,” Salvo said. “We have some areas that are leaking currently, like the bathroom, some in the kitchen and some outside one of the rooms.”

So far, the fundraising effort has accumulated $6,000 in donations, including from the Holy Trinity Parish. The goal is to secure at least $50,000 for all associated repairs. A gofundme has been set up, which can be found at bit.ly/3vRdwyA.

Roofing inspectors estimate the roof has about one to two years left in its life span, but more leaking problems could occur with more rain to come during the winter season.

While New Morning calls upon the community for help, Salvo will be applying for emergency grants as an alternative.

“Feeding the homeless and taking care of youth; to me, that’s a basic, fundamental part of being a human, as well as providing a roof over homeless kids’ heads. I feel this is for a good cause,” Salvo said.

The shelter is the only one of its kind in El Dorado County.

New Morning’s operations date back to 1976 when it contracted with the county to provide counseling services to both children and families and provide shelter through volunteer foster homes. It was determined a 24-hour, six-bed shelter was needed in 1989 and New Morning answered the call. A permanent shelter opened its doors in December 1991 in the form of a small donated home off Broadway in Placerville.

The Ashby House, named after former New Morning Executive Director David Ashby, was founded in 2011 which expanded the nonprofits bed capabilities to 12.

New Morning provides counseling and support for youth dealing with substance abuse, physical abuse, teen pregnancy, suicide and more, and serves as a “safety net” for families. It also acts as a respite for those who need a meal, a place to shower and sleep, do homework or just hangout.

New Morning’s website notes the nonprofit has provided a total of 6,236 counseling hours to families and individuals, serving 228 youth at the Ashby House between 2020-2021 and nearly 6,000 meals at the shelter in 2021. It also helped more than 300 individuals and families through its Latino outreach programs between 2020 and 2021.