NYC has new plan to address youth homelessness using federal dollars

Eric Adams Youth Homeless Announcement

New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveils plan to prevent and end youth homelessness in New York City in Queens on Wednesday, August 10, 2022. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday a new plan to end youth homelessness in New York City using federal dollars.

The plan, short-titled “Opportunity Starts with a Home,” uses a 2021 $15 million Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fuel the plan made in partnership with nonprofit partners and youth who have experienced homelessness.

During the media conference at the Sheltering Arms Drop-in Center in Queens, Adams recalled being sent to school with a garbage bag filled with clothing when growing up, so he would be able to change if his family had been evicted. It was a story he often told on the campaign trail.

“This is not a professional journey for me. This is not the journey of being the mayor of the city of New York. This is a personal journey,” the mayor said. “A home is more than four walls you sit inside. It’s a precursor that allows you to sleep so you can experience the American dream.”

Eight drop-in centers around the city, like the one where Adams, other city officials, and stakeholders announced the new plan, will be a focal point of the city’s plan to address youth homelessness, including the Project Hospitality site in Port Richmond.

Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Commissioner Keith Howard met with homeless youth there in July as part of the city’s outreach effort.

DYCD will be a lead agency in the new project which the city drafted during an eight-month planning process that included 20 organizations, including 15 city agencies, youth who’ve experienced homelessness, advocacy groups, philanthropic partners, and research partners.

“DYCD is proud to be the lead agency on this comprehensive initiative that included the most important voices of all: the young people who have lived experiences with homelessness, with plenty of great ideas on how to make things better,” Howard said.

“DYCD and our sister agencies look forward to reviewing the findings of this process so that the city can improve interagency coordination and provide the support our young people need and deserve.”

Specific initiatives in the plan include a new “Host Home and Shelter Diversion Program” primarily for Black and Latino LGBTQ+ youth, 102 new rapid rehousing units for young adults, and a first-of-its-kind financial counseling program catered to homeless youth.

The announcement marks the Adams’ administration’s latest effort to address homelessness. Other initiatives have included new public-private partnerships to fund homelessness outreach, and a more heavy-handed approach to encampment clearance, which has been criticized by some activist groups.

One such group, the Legal Aid Society, applauded the mayor’s Wednesday announcement as a way to help some of the city’s most vulnerable.

“This plan is the product of many months of collaboration, led by young people with lived experiences, that will truly shift how New York City serves runaway and homeless youth and young adults,” the group said in its statement.

“Our clients will now have better access to housing and employment opportunities, and other critical services. We encourage the city to maintain its commitment to fully implementing the plan and build on this success to ensure that the unique needs of this community are being met.”

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) applauded the initiative as a meaningful way to help the city’s homeless youth.

“This comprehensive partnership between the city and the federal government will be critical in providing intervention and support to New York City youth experiencing homelessness by helping them transition into more permanent housing and becoming more independent,” she said. “Early intervention is key to preventing and ending youth homelessness, and this initiative will surely help youth in need live a positive life instead of one on the streets.”

In addition to helping homeless young people, City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) said it would help youth outcomes overall.

“These interagency initiatives, especially when including the voices of young people who have lived this experience firsthand, will act as a significant investment in our city’s youth and can make meaningful impacts on our public safety and workforce development efforts,” she said.

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