Upcoming Events
Check back soon for information about running for Ozone House in the Big House Big Heart 5K on September 28, 2008! In the meantime, check out their website at www.bighousebigheart.com.
Recent Events
The Ozone House Board of Directors is pleased to announce Katie Doyle as Ozone House’s new Executive Director. Katie has been with Ozone House for 7 years in various leadership capacities – as theClinical Director, Associate Director, and most recently as Director of Communities Empowering Youth, a new collaborative among non-profit agencies in Ypsilanti to address best-practices in serving and supporting youth.
With a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Michigan and a career of service that began as a foster care case worker and as a therapist for youth and families involved in the child welfare system, Katie brings a wealth of experience and a strong clear voice in addressing issues regarding child abuse and neglect and homelessness among young people – especially those who have experienced abuse or who have aged out of the foster care system.
In her tenure at Ozone House, Katie has been instrumental in leading various new community initiatives and partnerships that include: The Washtenaw Child Protection Workgroup which has recently developed a web-based mechanism to the community to provide feedback on the efficacy of the child protective service process; a community-wide Youth Development Initiative; a Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Coalition; and a new community partnership which enables the Washtenaw County Health Organization to provide on-site psychiatric support to Ozone House youth who would otherwise find access to care difficult.
“Throughout her tenure at Ozone House, Katie Doyle has demonstrated a love for and commitment to the youth with whom we work, and to the staff and volunteers who provide the services, supports and opportunities that these vulnerable youth need. I cannot imagine leaving Ozone House in the hands of someone more capable or thoughtful than Katie. I am truly grateful that she has chosen to take on this challenge.”
Mary Jo Callan
Previous Executive Director at Ozone House, now Director of Community Development for Washtenaw County
Ozone House in the News
- Press Release: Ozone House Provides Over 65 Youth in Need with Prom Dresses, Suits, Accessories May 1, 2008
Our second annual Prom Exchange was an incredible success! Click on the link above to learn more.
- Youth make it happen Ozone House residents' spearhead cleanup The Ann Arbor News, 7/22/07
- Gay Youth Find Place to Call Home in Specialty Shelters The New York Times, 5/18/07
- Press Release: Ozone House Provides Youth in Need with Prom Dresses, Accessories May 15, 2007
- Press Release: Ozone House Leads Communities Empowering Youth Capacity Building Initiative April 20, 2007
- Ozone House helps fill foster care gap The Ann Arbor News, 4/08/07
- Grown up and Out The Ann Arbor News, 4/01/07
- Archived News Click to read news articles and press releases.
"Nearly a year after finding a permanent home for their drop-in center at 102 N. Hamilton St., youth from Ozone House now have their sights set on beautifying their new neighborhood." (Seth Gordon, The Ann Arbor News Staff Reporter)
Ozone House Executive Director Mary Jo Callan and Case Manager Krista Girty weigh in on the increasing awareness among child welfare advocates of the disproportionately high number of gay youths in the homeless population and the special problems they face.
Ozone House held its first-ever Prom Exchange, providing area youth in need with prom dresses, suits, and accessories.
Communities Empowering Youth is an initiative between Ozone House and six other local service agencies to build capacity to advance positive youth development in Ypsilanti.
Elizabeth Warren's letter to the editor thanking the news for the important coverage of youth aging out of foster care, and reminding readers that Ozone House provides critical support for those youth who at age 17 or 18 lack the resources and support system to start life on their own.
The Ann Arbor News profiles youth who have aged out of the foster care system. Many of the young people Ozone House supports have aged out of foster care without the resources and support to start life on their own.
