Focus aid on keeping youths in stable housing
By Jacqueline White / For Progressive Perspectives
Consider the situation of Charles; a young Black man who showed up at HOPE 4 Youth, a drop-in center for youth facing homelessness in suburban Minneapolis. His grandmother, who he was staying with, had given him until the end of the month to find a new place. His name wasn’t on the lease and the stress of their under-the-radar arrangement had become too much for her.
Options for young people in Charles’ situation, who don’t have a rental history and don’t make enough to realistically afford their own place, are limited. He could do an intake through the local “coordinated entry” system, part of the federally funded triage process that acts as a gateway to homelessness resources. But because Charles wasn’t actually homeless, he would not end up among the 35 percent of young people who were deemed most in need by the coordinated entry system and thus eligible for housing. Even those who do make the cut routinely wait months until they can move into housing.
Our current response to youths facing homelessness — generally defined as unaccompanied minors and young adults, sometimes with their own children — is clearly unable to meet the burgeoning need. We need to try something new, but what?
In its expansive new research agenda, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness asks in regard to youth homelessness: “What actions can affirm chosen family and stabilize informal hosting?”
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-focus-aid-on-keeping-youths-in-stable-housing/