Youth cannot leave the streets until they are stable—meaning they are engaged in counseling, accessing support services, and committed to change. To meet these goals, a case manager is paired with each youth to stabilize his or her situation and find acceptable alternatives to living on the street.
Experienced addiction specialists provide both one-on-one and group drug and alcohol counseling. These services are critical in helping the estimated 40% of homeless youth who suffer from addiction.
The top priority for our clinical case management team is working with youth to stabilize their lives. Whether this means working to reunify with family, drug and alcohol counseling or rehabilitation, a referral into our transitional housing or independent living programs, or daily visits, our counselors are committed to creating with youth a plan to exit street life.
Transitional Housing
offers 24-hour supervision and safe living environment for teens who are ready to execute a plan to exit street life. From the safety of a structured living environment, residents learn the life lessons necessary to succeed in the outside world: how to set and attain healthy goals, respect for oneself and others, and learning how to operate within a set of rules.
Youth work with case managers to identify personal goals focusing on life skills development, job training, education, and ultimately achieving self-sufficiency. The goals are written into Service Plans, which allow residents to spend their time productively working towards achieving measurable objectives. Residents meet with case managers weekly to review their progress.
90% of youth contacted one year after exiting transition housing were in stable living situations.
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Independent Living
is a program that utilizes federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to provide youth with sliding scale rent and utility assistance for up to 18 months. Not all youth need the close supervision offered by program such as our Transitional Housing Project, which offers 24 hour supervised community for youth transitioning to self-sufficiency. Some may simply need a helping hand to make the final leap to self-sufficiency. While others, may have the skills to manage a household but lack the funds to afford the entire rent bill.
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