Opinion: Preventing Youth Homelessness Before It Starts

""Through creative conversations, we're able to work with youth to figure out solutions for their most immediate needs and help resolve their housing crisis as quickly as possible-so they never have to enter the homelessness system in the first place." In 2022, I found myself where no parent wants to be-without a safe place to live with my two young children, an infant and a 3-year-old. Circumstances led me to the city's entry point into the homelessness system, Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing Office (PATH)."

"I learned quickly that, when navigating the system, I had to be my own best advocate for me and my kids. Appointments with case managers were quick and to the point, without a lot of room for questions or compassion. There's no breathing room when you are just there to check boxes. It was on me to figure out how to apply for SNAP and healthcare assistance. It was on me to determine how to get my 3-year-old into a preschool program."

"While meeting with Henry Street's employment support team, I learned that Point Source Youth was looking to hire youth consultants to advise on a new homelessness prevention program. The position immediately appealed to me because the program seemed to ask the question, "How can we help those who are not seen?" I was hired and entered into a community where I felt like I fit in after feeling invisible, or just like a number, for so long."

In 2022 a parent became homeless with an infant and a three-year-old and entered the city's PATH intake, where eligibility determinations delayed access to housing support for over two months. The parent had to repeat details to multiple staff, serve as primary advocate, and independently navigate SNAP, healthcare, and preschool enrollment while appointments felt perfunctory and unempathetic. The family later connected with Henry Street Settlement and discovered a youth homelessness prevention initiative. The parent joined as a youth consultant with Point Source Youth, finding community and influence in shaping prevention strategies focused on creative conversations and rapid, client-centered solutions to avoid entry into the homelessness system.

Read at City Limits