Auberle Home opens new dorms

By Mary Niederberger
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Thursday, May 01, 2008

Jamie S., a resident at the Auberle Home in McKeesport, recently learned a valuable lesson about the price of freedom.

He and 11 other young men, who are the first residents of Auberle's new Community Based Living Facility, found that with freedom comes much responsibility.

In the new $2 million building, which was dedicated last Friday, the young men each get their own rooms and have far fewer restrictions than in the main Auberle building. But they also do their own cooking, laundry and cleaning.

The young men are enrolled in Auberle's Group Oriented Adolescent Living, or GOAL, program, which is geared to get them ready for life on their own by teaching social and practical skills needed for an independent life.

They are either attending school or working -- or both in some cases -- and preparing for their future by learning about living on budgets, balancing checkbooks and running a household. They also learn to drive.

They can stay in the program until age 21.

"The whole point of this program is to give them the skills to move out on their own. To teach them to live within a budget and to find a place that they can afford," said Kyle Harder, supervisor of central intake at Auberle.

The Auberle home houses children who are juvenile offenders or those who have been removed from their families because of abuse or abandonment.

Even though there was a lot of excitement about moving into the new building two weeks ago, Jamie said some of the young men in the program were hesitant because of the extra work involved. But not Jamie.

"You've got to do everything on your own, but I like it," Jamie said. "I already knew how to do laundry."

The new center is a single-story building adjacent to the main Auberle building along Hartman Street in McKeesport. Currently, the 12 young men living there are those who already were enrolled in the GOAL program at the main building.

They got the chance to help in the planning of their new residence and were able to choose the color and decor schemes for the facility, Mr. Harder said.

Other residents will be added as they qualify for the program, Mr. Harder said.

Each side of the building has a dorm-like wing that holds 12 individual rooms and two bathrooms. Unlike the main Auberle building, where residents can have as many as three roommates, at the Community-Based Living facility, each resident has his own room.

Jamie said that's one of the best things about being in the new building. "You don't have to worry about someone being dirty or taking your stuff," Jamie said.

All of the young men in the program are required to keep their rooms and the bathrooms clean.

Jamie, who attends McKeesport Area High School, is hoping to go to trade school or do an apprenticeship program while living at the facility.

In the center of the building, near the entrance, is the common area which includes a room similar to a family room with couches and a large screen television.

Also nearby is the dining area and the kitchen, where the young men prepare their own meals. Each wing has a budget for food and the residents plan and prepare the meals. There are two full sets of kitchen appliances so each wing has its own work space.

The new building also holds a computer lab with 12 state-of-the-art, Dell desktop computers. The lab is available for residents to do their homework and to conduct job searches. It's also available to residents of the main Auberle building.

The new facility also has a game room with pool and fooseball tables and video games.

The GOAL program had operated at 100 percent capacity with its limit of 12, Auberle CEO John Patrick Lydon told the audience that gathered for the building dedication Friday. The new building allows Auberle to double the program's capacity.

This summer the residents of the new facility will build a sidewalk from their facility to the main Auberle building, Mr. Lydon said. He said the project will not only teach them about laying cement, but about teamwork.

During his address at the dedication, Mr. Lydon thanked the Massaro Corporation, which he said brought the project in "on time and under budget." Massaro, he said, donated some services during the project.

The dedication crowd drew some heavy hitters, including Bishop David Zubik of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, who blessed the building; County Chief Executive Dan Onorato; and state Sen. Jane Orie, R-McCandless, who was able to get $400,000 in state money directed to the project.

Another major grant of $500,000 came from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.