Latest news with #YSS
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How a $1.8M grant will help YSS fund transitional housing for homeless youth in central Iowa
An Ames-based organization is helping curtail youth homelessness thanks to a $1.8 million grant. YSS, a non-profit that offers education, counseling and emergency shelter to youth across the state, was awarded funds for its Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP). The two-year program will provide transitional housing and rapid rehousing support to 36 youth aged 16 to 24. The transitional housing will offer supportive housing for 12 young adults aged 16 to 21. Rapid rehousing will accommodate up to 24 young adults aged 18 to 24, YSS Transitional Housing Director Cassandra Cruz said. "Both components are designed to address the unique needs of youth experiencing homelessness by providing stable housing paired with individualized support services for up to two years, with the goal of successful discharges to permanent housing options," Cruz said. The almost $1.8 million grant came from the Iowa Balance of State Continuing of Care/Community Plan. The joint program will cover the Two River Region, which includes Story, Marshall, Hardin, Boone and Greene Counties. YSS anticipates that about 70% of the funds, about $1.2 million, will be spent in Ames and Story County. The new housing program is scheduled to begin on Oct. 1 by hiring staff. YSS will start accepting referrals once staff is trained. More: Carr Park agility course now open, offers cargo nets, ladders and more The transitional housing component will offer individual housing units and roommate-style housing arrangements for single youth. The rapid rehousing component will provide flexible housing options to accommodate single youth, couples, and families, with the goal of providing long-term housing stability and independence for up to 24 months. The YSS program is income-based, and all participants must be willing to provide income data to be eligible. Participants will undergo an annual assessment to determine if they qualify for the second year. More: A new $1.2M childcare center has opened in Slater, filling a vital need. What to know Interested youth must be within the specified age range and undergo an entry process, Cruz said. "Once a youth is pulled from the coordinated entry process, they will have additional assessments with staff to determine the best fit for them," Cruz said. "Once housed, goals will be developed, and they will have up to two years of supportive assistance offered." YSS offers "offer education to build healthy minds and bodies; counseling to overcome life's challenges; and stability to focus on the future," according to the organization's website. The organization was established in 1976 and expanded into Boone, Des Moines, Marshalltown, Nevada and Webster City in the 1980s. YSS has been housing young adults in its communities for the past 39 years, with a foundation rooted in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. More: New $30M campus represents 'largest investment in children's behavioral health' in Iowa "We are committed to continuing to apply for and utilizing all local, state, and federal funding to end youth homelessness in our communities," Cruz said. "We firmly believe that every youth deserves a place to call home and will continue to respond to the needs that we are observing in our communities to create hope and opportunity for the next generation." YSS recently opened the Ember Recovery Campus in Cambridge, a $30 million, 70-bed youth behavioral and mental health campus that will provide residential addiction treatment, emergency shelter, and crisis stabilization for youth and young adults. The City of Ames is taking steps to help its transient community. The city-funded Homelessness Outreach Services Team (HOST) discovered that the most common reasons residents are homeless are their inability to afford rent, past evictions, or landlords not allowing a lease renewal. The outreach team has identified several gaps in services, including a shortage of mental health services, shelter beds and affordable housing opportunities. Homeless individuals often struggle to obtain IDs that have been lost or stolen, and there is minimal case management. More: Iowa State, Mary Greeley partnering to build a nurse training center, employee housing. HOST estimated it has assisted about seven people per week, or 168 people in the last six months. The team has sheltered 51 people during that span. In January 2025, the Ames City Council allocated $11,250 for the outreach team to address as the need for additional clothing, personal hygiene, bus passes and more. A little more than $6,500 had been spent through May, leaving about $4,700 leftover. The financial support from the city has had a great impact in the community, team member Susan Moore, a licensed social worker at Mary Greeley, said at the Ames City Council meeting on June 24. "People often think, 'Everyone in Ames is hiring, go get a job.' Well, it doesn't work like that when someone stole your backpack and you don't have your birth certificate or an ID," Moore said. "There's so many things that go into someone applying for an apartment or getting a job, significant barriers that we have been able to help with." Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@ This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: A $1.8M grant will aid YSS' efforts to provide youth housing in Iowa
Time of India
12-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Direct Connection With The Almighty
Direct Connection With The Almighty 1. Nobody has seen Mahavatar Babaji in person, yet everybody knows he exists and interacts with his disciples in a special way. What can modern gurus learn from him? Gurus are transcended beings and they have a unique role to play. Babaji has been able to maintain his earthly existence for centuries-perhaps even millennia-because he remains in seclusion. But that's part of a higher design. If God, His avatars, or illumined masters were freely available to everyone, free will would be lost. People would feel compelled to follow them automatically, and that's not what God wants. He wants each individual to use their discrimination, reasoning, purity of heart, and intuition to seek the truth and understand the purpose of life. As for gurus, each has a different role to play. Some are active in social and humanitarian work, but that was not Paramhans Yogananda 's specific mission. His work had a very distinct focus-to reintroduce the ancient science of Kriya Yog and the lifestyle that supports it, not just in India but globally. That doesn't diminish the importance of humanitarian work. Our organisation, Yogoda Satsang Society (YSS) of India, conducts and sponsors many charitable activities, especially during disasters, and also on an ongoing basis. But countless organisations already exist to alleviate suffering. What very few are doing is addressing the root cause of human misery, not just symptoms. That's the long-term work, Yogananda's mission, is about. 2. What is this long-term work? It's about providing humanity with the definite, scientific yog techniques that were known in India during the Sat Yug but lost in the materialistic ages. These techniques have now been revived through Mahavatar Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, and Paramhans Yogananda. They allow each individual to have direct, personal experience and relationship with God. Once that relationship is established, the soul naturally awakens to compassion, service, kindness-both individually and collectively. But that awakening can only happen through real meditation, which brings awareness of the soul's unity with the Infinite Spirit. 3. How can direct personal experience be achieved? It requires sincerity and a willingness to be receptive. But everything is available for anyone interested. Kriya yog meditation techniques include silent practice in the morning and evening, concentration, pranayam, devotion, and the specialised kriyas that awaken chakras and the brain. Through these practices, the soul awakens to its true divine nature and its unity with the Spirit. Spiritual environment is important for those who are serious about maintaining continuity and intensification of their sadhana. Yogananda said that the environment is stronger than will power. He said we must encourage establishment of centres and temples not only in cities but in individual homes to encourage the practise of Kriya Yog meditation. 4. Is it better to meditate at home than go to temples? External worship has its value, but real spiritual progress comes from mastering the art of entering the interior temple - the sanctum sanctorum within the heart and soul. That's where the true connection happens. Guruji used to say, "By practising Kriya Yog, you carry a portable paradise within you." But when starting out, it's hard to stay connected amidst noise and distractions. That's why home sanctuaries and group meditations are essential to reinforce individual efforts. 5. What is the ultimate goal of spiritual practise? The true goal of sadhana is to shed the ego and realise the soul. Guruji described the soul as "a radiating ray of the Infinite Spirit." You become one with the source of joy, love, wisdom, and abundance. You realise how loved and cherished you are by the Divine. But that realisation never comes through donations, or humanitarian service alone. Service helps in expansion of self. These things are good but can't substitute realisation. Authored by: Sonal Sivastava Why Arjun Was Chosen: The Untold Secret of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 3
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
National Unity Ministry approves RM2.1m for volunteers programmes
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of National Unity has approved an allocation of RM2.1 million for the implementation of MADANI Berkhidmat: Misi Sukarelawan Siswa in Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang, Perak and Vietnam as well as other volunteer programmes, this year. Minister of National Unity Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the matter was decided at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Student Volunteers Foundation (YSS), here, which also discussed various agendas, including the achievements of YSS last year and the direction for this year. Aaron said YSS was asked to examine the need to create a comprehensive volunteering policy or action plan as a national guiding framework in strengthening the volunteer movement in a more structured manner, involving all government agencies in voluntary work. 'YSS needs to play a proactive role as a government agency. The implementation of the programme must be focused and attention must be given to Misi Sukarelawan Siswa, Tuisyen KAMI, Ejen Perpaduan and the student volunteer leadership development programmes,' he said in a statement today after chairing the meeting. To date, YSS has produced 2,153 student volunteer leaders who have successfully implemented 9,665 community projects nationwide. He also said the meeting decided that 'Program Ini Warisan Kita: Misi Sukarelawan Siswa' be rebranded as 'MADANI Berkhidmat Sukarelawan Siswa'. The meeting was also announced YSS's achievements throughout the past year, including the implementation of five student volunteer missions in 20 locations in Vietnam, Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah and Kelantan; as well as the implementation of 735 community projects with 4,539 volunteer hours in the field which benefited 146,211 people in various local communities.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
National Unity Ministry approves RM2.1 mln for volunteers programmes
PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of National Unity has approved an allocation of RM2.1 million for the implementation of MADANI Berkhidmat: Misi Sukarelawan Siswa in Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang, Perak and Vietnam as well as other volunteer programmes, this year. Minister of National Unity Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the matter was decided at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Student Volunteers Foundation (YSS), here, which also discussed various agendas, including the achievements of YSS last year and the direction for this year. Aaron said YSS was asked to examine the need to create a comprehensive volunteering policy or action plan as a national guiding framework in strengthening the volunteer movement in a more structured manner, involving all government agencies in voluntary work. 'YSS needs to play a proactive role as a government agency. The implementation of the programme must be focused and attention must be given to Misi Sukarelawan Siswa, Tuisyen KAMI, Ejen Perpaduan and the student volunteer leadership development programmes,' he said in a statement today after chairing the meeting. To date, YSS has produced 2,153 student volunteer leaders who have successfully implemented 9,665 community projects nationwide. He also said the meeting decided that 'Program Ini Warisan Kita: Misi Sukarelawan Siswa' be rebranded as 'MADANI Berkhidmat Sukarelawan Siswa'. The meeting was also announced YSS's achievements throughout the past year, including the implementation of five student volunteer missions in 20 locations in Vietnam, Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah and Kelantan; as well as the implementation of 735 community projects with 4,539 volunteer hours in the field which benefited 146,211 people in various local communities.
Barnama
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
National Unity Ministry Approves RM2.1 Mln For Volunteers Programmes
PUTRAJAYA, May 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of National Unity has approved an allocation of RM2.1 million for the implementation of MADANI Berkhidmat: Misi Sukarelawan Siswa in Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang, Perak and Vietnam as well as other volunteer programmes, this year. Minister of National Unity Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the matter was decided at the 13th Annual General Meeting of the Student Volunteers Foundation (YSS), here, which also discussed various agendas, including the achievements of YSS last year and the direction for this year. Aaron said YSS was asked to examine the need to create a comprehensive volunteering policy or action plan as a national guiding framework in strengthening the volunteer movement in a more structured manner, involving all government agencies in voluntary work.
