Prevent chronic homelessness by housing youth who are experiencing homelessness
• Preventing and housing youth who experience homelessness prevents these young people from becoming chronically homeless adults. Expanding youth-appropriate housing and services for homeless youth will save lives, decrease chronic homelessness over time and decrease costs associated with long-term homelessness. Therefore, when defining the goal to prevent and end chronic homelessness it is necessary to:
o Recognize that the causes of youth homelessness are different from those of adults, and the circumstances that lead young people to be ejected from or leave their homes are complex. The goal should be defined as increased effective prevention of youth homelessness and increased readily available crisis response and longer-term solutions for young people who become homeless. This means that:
(1) Every community has appropriate services for homeless youth aged 12 to 24.
(2) There are no waitlists for services and housing for homeless youth so that each young person in crisis has access to safe and appropriate housing and services.
o Provide services and housing that are youth-appropriate and take into consideration the developmental, social and legal needs of unaccompanied homeless youth, including transitional housing.
o Increase the stock of affordable housing throughout the United States so that transition-aged youth who can successfully live independently have a place they can afford to live and will not unnecessarily be placed in permanent supportive housing. This would allow those with the greatest need to access these limited community resources.
o Develop protocols for transition-aged youth to be moved into adult permanent supportive housing when they will require these services into adulthood. This would allow youth programs to have the capacity to house additional young people who are in need of developmentally appropriate supportive housing and services.
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Darla Bardine
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