ST. LOUIS — There were instances of violence in St. Louis over the weekend, but unlike last weekend, children were not involved.
This comes just one week after the deadly mass shooting injuring nearly a dozen teens and killing one.
This weekend, non-profits and community improvement groups really stepped in to keep teens away from gun violence.
One of the organizations fighting to keep kids and young people safe is Restoration House.
On the outside, it might just look like an old theater but on the inside it’s so much more for young people in St. Louis.
“We've got a place for you to wash your clothes, and we cover the washing powder. We have fresh food every day. We have Wi-Fi, we have an Xbox. We have another TV with the likes of likes Netflix, Hulu, Disney. We also have laptops. So anybody can come in and take advantage of everything we provide,” Restoration House Director of Operations Lilly Blake said.
Restoration House is a safe space free from the pressure that Blake says teens and young adults actually want to come to.
“They're building relationships with us," Blake said. "It's just that simple rapport builds the accountability and it drives them to come somewhere that's safe, somewhere that they know they can get help, somewhere that they know they can rest somewhere they know that they can eat without having to feel like they're stuck in some kind of system or program.”
And they even go a step further helping young people dig deep to find their purpose.
“We have a birth certificate and state ID program. So if you don't have that, we cover the cost of that. And then if you need help just talking about anything, finding purpose or you just want to talk, we provide a safe space to do that. And I think that makes the difference,” Blake said.
They’re not alone, this weekend Youth Ambassadors took over Chestnut Street with a food truck and a video game trailer.
The purpose is to make sure that the youth that are downtown can be safe, that our guests and our visitors that are in our city can have an enjoyable stay and then also find some solutions.
5 On Your Side reached out to the mayor's office for an update on how the weekend's efforts went, but haven't heard back yet.
Restoration House has its doors open at 2912 Chippewa St. in St. Louis every day for young people in need and every Saturday the Youth Ambassadors plan to be out in the streets with food and activities for anyone to take advantage of in hopes that little by little they can steer St. Louis youth in the right direction.