'Good to be home:' YES Clubhouse reopens after 2021 fire – The Newark Advocate

Over a year after a fire caused extensive damage to the Youth Engaged in Service Club building, they’ve returned home.In May 2021, a fire was believed to have started in the kitchen, causing significant smoke and heat damage throughout the building, according to Assistant Newark Fire Chief Nick Simmons. There was no one in the building at 100 E. Church St. in Newark at the time of the fire and there were no injuries reported.According to Mental Health America of Licking County Director Penny Sitler, the club was temporarily housed in a few locations, including at The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology, Second Presbyterian Church and I Am Boundless in Newark.”YES Club is more than a place obviously. We have so much we offer to young people that come there,” Sitler said. “They have a safe place to be. We have caring adults and they get a meal every day. We have a clothing closet for them. We provide a lot of services to these young people they wouldn’t normally have access to.”YES Club Program Director Ethan Pound said their team has continued to do what they do, but agreed it’s more special to be in their…
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