CA Homeless Youth Project Blog

Data & Ending Youth Homelessness

The most prominent theme that we observed at the National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference was the need for consistent and better data. In every workshop, this theme echoed as presenters urged service providers to get involved with their local Continuum of Care (CoC). As part of our blog series on lessons learned from the conference, we write about the importance of data and how you can get involved.

Why is data so important in the fight to end homelessness?

Data is one of the most important tools we have when it comes to ending homelessness because it allows us to have a confident estimate of the scale and scope of the problem. Once we know the magnitude of the situation we can be aware of the policy response and resources needed.

Data is also vital because it allows us to know what is and isn’t working.  It also allows us to measure outcomes so service providers can be consistently informed and equipped with the most effective strategies for getting youth off the streets. Outcomes validate the importance of these programs in ending youth homelessness.

Approaches to get better data.

An important step in the direction of acquiring better data is coordinating our data collection systems: RHYMIS and HMIS. By integrating the systems under a united standard we would have consistent data and at the same time reduce burden on grantees.

Collaboration between schools, RHY providers, CoCs, and formerly homeless youth while doing the Point-in-Time (PIT) counts is essential when it comes to finding youth that would have otherwise not been visible during the count.

When is the PIT count happening?

The HUD-mandated biennial count is happening January 2013. Contact your CoC for specific dates.

Both Nan Roman (President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness) and Secretary Kathleen Sebellius (Secretary of Health and Human Services) urged participants of the conference to get involved with their local CoCs upcoming PIT count. This year will be the first year that HUD will require transition aged youth (ages 18-24) to be counted, making this an extremely crucial count in acquiring an accurate gauge of how many homeless youth are on the streets.

How can YOU get involved with helping improve your local community’s PIT count?

The California Homeless Youth Project in partnership with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) has developed the “Toolkit for Counting Homeless Youth”

to help CoCs more accurately count homeless youth in California.  If you are in charge of your communities Continuum of Care, we urge you to take a look , or contact your representatives, provide them with the information, and volunteer that January night.

To look for your local CoC in the state of California look hereor here

For more information on the the Homeless Youth population in California read our publication: “Estimating California’s Homeless Youth Population.”

Come Together, Right Now. Over Youth.

In our 2008 report, Voices from the Street: A Survey of Homeless Youth by Their Peers, the number one recommendation we heard from youth was to undo the criminalization of homelessness, which they saw as exacerbating their housing instability. So it struck me when today, our Twitter timeline was filled with tweets that linked to the recent article by USA Today,  “Cities’ homeless crackdown: Could it be compassion fatigue?” The article highlights the recent trend in implementing legislation that strengthens anti-camping, anti-feeding, and anti-panhandling laws. This trend is happening in cities across the United States and is currently “pitting city officials against homeless advocates”.

City Officials feel that these bans help ensure dignity and promote access to other types of services for the homeless. For example, feeding programs that occur indoors can act as starting points for people experiencing homelessness to begin to explore other services that can help them.

However, advocates for the homeless argue that these types of bans are counterproductive and in fact, perpetuate homelessness, dramatically affecting the well being of youth living on the streets. In one of our videos, the young man says “What do you want me to do? You’re [Police Officers] telling me, ‘don’t sleep in the park, don’t sleep in the street.’ What do you want me to do? You can’t just magically not be homeless.” (:30) These laws penalize homeless youth on the streets and often foster a hostile relationship between youth and police officers. The implementation of these bans leads to tickets and fines, giving homeless youth criminal records and making it harder for them to get jobs.

City officials and homeless advocates are both right. It is imperative for us to provide services and dignity to homeless people, especially youth. Services can range from educational programs to transitional housing, allowing youth to learn how to become independent and self-sufficient. It is equally important for our society to consider alternatives to the criminalization of homelessness. Fortunately, the US Interagency Council on Homelessness released a report on alternatives to criminalizing homelessness. You can find it here. Once legislators, homeless advocates, and community members come together, then we can move in the direction of finding an end to homelessness.

Jimmy

CCY Taking Action Conference

On April 15-17th I attended the California Coalition for Youth’s Taking Action conference. It was a great honor for me to be a part of this conference. While there I had the opportunity to meet and discuss various issues youth encounter with other service providers and youth. As I listened to Jevon Wilkes, the keynote speaker on Saturday, I felt very humbled to hear about his life as a child into adulthood, and how he used his adversity to help him fight against the odds to achieve what he has in life. I found myself tearing up as he shared his story and at the same time thought about how thankful I am for the privileges I’ve had in my life. Later in the day, I attended a workshop on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children presented by San Diego Youth Services. I was particularly touched by this presentation as part of my work at the HYP has been to write about sexually exploited homeless youth. The sexual exploitation of minors regardless of age, race, sexual orientation or gender identity is one of many important issues that homeless youth are faced with. It was encouraging to see youth who have been personally affected by these issues sharing their stories and taking ownership in presenting the workshops. This conference was filled with information, education, empowerment, and advocacy. It is times such as these that remind me why I choose to go into social work and the passion I have working with youth.

Kathryn

Cash for Kids week in LA

During the week of March 25-31st three restaurants and one high fashion boutique partnered together by participating in the first annual Los Angeles Youth Network’s (LAYN) Cash for Kids week. The idea of this event was: the cash used to pay fees at the joining businesses were redirected and donated to LAYN. LAYN provides a variety of needs and services to homeless and runaway youth ages 12-21. The funds that were raised went toward LAYN being able to continue to provide services such as: emergency shelter, hot meals, street outreach, case management, daily hygiene and family reunification. Here at CA Homeless Youth Project we strive to make sure that services and resources such as LAYN remain available for youth faced with homelessness. This is a good example of how non-profits can partner with local businesses to increase funding in lean times and better support homeless youth in our state. For more information about LAYN, visit their website at: www.LAYN.org

New shelter for LGBT homeless youth in Chicago

March marked the opening of a new homeless shelter in Chicago, Il. Vida/SIDA opened the doors of El Rescate on March 3rd. El Rescate is a homeless shelter aimed at providing services for LGBT and HIV + youth, ages 18-24. El Rescate was designed to be a transitional housing facility and an independent living program. Please click on the link below to read more.

http://chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/27736564/special-report-rescuing-chicagos-homeless-lgbt-youth

Kathryn