Food Security United States Project #11098

Bridge the Gap for Homeless Youth

by Latin American Youth Center

Project Report | May 6, 2013
Your Donation is Helping DC Homeless Youth

By Amanda Roebel | Safe Housing Program Manager

Street Outreach Staff

LAYC's Street Outreach Program (SOP) comes into contact daily with homeless and runway youth who are in need of a safe and stable place to live. There are various paths to homelessness for these youth, but all are in need of resources unique to young adults.

Your donation and community support have enabled street outreach workers to provide a variety of greatly needed services: snacks and hot meals to youth who are living on the street and in shelters, assistance with building resumes and preparing for job interviews, referrals to emergency and transitional housing programs, connection with educational opportunities, assistance with obtaining government IDs and accessing legal services, and providing appropriate clothing for job interviews and other professional opportunities.

We have connected youth with transitional living programs to place them in stable living environments where they can build work experience and financial stability, obtain educational goals, and work towards independent living. Jane is one of these youth. She is a young lady who became homeless when she lost her student loans and had to withdraw from school. Jane turned to the Street Outreach Program for help with obtaining stable housing, continuing her education, and finding employment. With the help of Street Outreach Program staff, Jane was referred and accepted into a transitional housing program where she was able to meet her goal of financial stability, was able to re-enroll in school, and move into her own place after completing the program with a significant amount of savings in the bank.

Your donation and overall support help make these much needed services available to the youth in our community who are most in need. Our dedicated staff work hard every day to connect these young people to the best available resources so that their cycle of homelessness can end and the opportunity for stability and self-sufficiency is possible. Thank you so much for your support and please spread the word about the services our Street Outreach Program can provide!

Links:

LAYC Street Outreach Program Website

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Feb 1, 2013
Homeless Youth in DC Report

By Jacob Newman | Street Outreach Program Coordinator

LAYC's Help the Homeless Community Walk

As the temperatures plummet in the District, homeless and runaway youth find themselves competing for shelter and other services. LAYC's Street Outreach Program (SOP) has been busy striving to help 100 youth exit homelessness during the winter months. In November 2012, we organized a "Help the Homeless Community Walk" to raise awareness and funds for our SOP services.

With your donation and the support of the community, Street Outreach workers provided referrals to shelters and transitional housing programs; connected youth to education and workforce opportunities; helped youth obtain health insurance and government IDs; and were busy procuring resources such as hot meals, clothing, hygiene kits, and more. Esteban is one of the youth we have recently worked with to help him get back on his feet.

Esteban is a 20-year old Latino youth who was sleeping in the doorway of a local church when a concerned community member told him about LAYC's SOP. Esteban arrived at the drop-in center later that day and began working with a Street Outreach worker. We gave him food, a place to shower, and clean clothes. He was referred to a short term shelter program with a partner organization and for the first time in weeks had a safe place to stay. He continued to work with us to apply for health insurance, enroll in school, and find a job. Due to his efforts and exemplary behavior in the short term shelter, Esteban was accepted into a longer term, transitional housing program where he continues working towards his goals of self sufficiency.

We hope to continue the good work of assisting our city’s most vulnerable youth and cannot do it without you! Thank you for your generous donations and support of this vital program. Each day presents a new set of challenges for an entire community of youth without a safe, stable place to call home. Please consider telling others about the Latin American Youth Center’s Street Outreach Program and don’t hesitate to contact me for other ways to help.

Help the Homeless Community Walk

Links:

LAYC Hosts Help the Homeless Community Walk

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