The California Homeless Youth Project

FEBR UAR Y NEW SLETTER

HYP in the News

"More T han A Roof" Press Conference: On January 8th, 2013, Senator Carol Liu (D-La Caada-Flintridge) hosted a press conference at the State Capitol to officially release the HYP's new strategic plan to end youth homelessness in California. More Than a Roof: How California Can End Youth Homelessness recommends action steps for state and local policymakers, service providers, and government agencies in an effort to provide policy solutions to end youth homelessness in the state. Senator Liu discussed her plans for upcoming legislation, and current and former homeless shared their ideas for ending youth homelessness. Learn more about the conference here. New American Media Coverage: Want a deeper look at the CA plan to end youth homelessness? Check out this excellent short video from New America Media and hear what Senator Carol Liu, HYP Director Shahera Hyatt, and currently and formerly homeless youth have to say about the value of such a plan. New American Media also featured the HYP's recent issue brief on differences between Caucasian and African-American homeless youth. "The implication for homeless service providers, say researchers, is clear: programs need revamping if they are to meet the needs of what is ostensibly an invisible population." Read what they have to say about this brief, as well as the state plan to end youth homelessness, on their website here. Point-in-T ime Count: A recent article in the

ABOUT US

The California Homeless Youth Project (HYP) is a non-partisan research and policy initiative of the California Research Bureau that highlights the issues and challenges faced by young people who are homeless or lack stable housing. For more information, please see our website.
HYP VIDEO WALL

Check out our video wall featuring interviews with young people who have experienced homelessness, highlighting their experiences, aspirations, and ideas for change.
FOLLOW US!

Sacramento News & Review documented Sacramento Steps Forward's efforts to count homeless Sacramentans. Although there are challenges in counting homeless youth in most communities, HYP Director Shahera Hyatt noted in the article that since that 18 to 24 group isn't served well by a lot of the programs for chronically homeless adults, it's important for us to know how many there are in our community that require services. Read more about the challenge of counting youth and where Sacramento can go from here. HYP's Jimmy Ramirez on MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Show: HYP Project Consultant Jimmy Ramirez appeared on the Melissa Harris-Perry show on MSNBC discussing his experiences with homelessness and the importance of counting homeless youth in the PIT. Watch Jimmy and others talk about what it means to be young and homeless in the US.

Latest Research
1. USICH Fram ework to End Y outh Hom elessness, US Interagency Council on Hom elessness (February 2013)

A just-released report by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness introduces a new framework "explaining how to approach the problem of youth homelessness in a more coordinated and effective way across different disciplines that work with this population." The framework calls on agencies and systems at all levels to work together to get to better youth outcomes in stable housing, permanent connections, education and employment, and well-being, focusing on improving data quality and collection on youth experiencing homelessness and building capacity for service delivery.
2. T owards a National Housing Strategy , Holly wood Hom eless Y outh Partnership (January 2013)

This policy brief addresses the inadequacies of

prioritizing permanent housing as the only solution for homeless youth, identifies the major limitations of our existing housing programs, and advocates for developing a national housing strategy and funding a full housing continuum for homeless young people that is responsive to their unique needs and circumstances.
3. Measuring Success in Housing Program s for Hom eless Y outh: T he Need for Y outh-Specific Perform ance Measures, Holly wood Hom eless Y outh Partnership (January 2013)

The purpose of this brief is to identify some of the limitations of existing outcomes and indicators and advocate for the development of trauma-informed, youth-specific objectives and performance measures to ensure greater effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability in housing programs serving youth. Once developed and implemented, data from these measures can effectively inform decisions about strategies, services, and resource allocation and enable communities to assess their efforts.
4. T he Econom ic Well-Being of LGB Y outh T ransitioning Out of Foster Care, U.S. Departm ent of Health and Hum an Serv ices (January 2013)

This brief describes the characteristics and economic well-being of young people aging out of foster care who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). It also compares their economic self-sufficiency to that of their heterosexual peers also aging out of care. The analysis uses data from the Midwest Study of Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth, a longitudinal study that followed a sample of young people from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin as they transitioned out of foster care and into adulthood.
5. Unheard and Unseen: A Narrativ e Study of African Am erican Adolescents

Ex periencing Hom elessness, Addie Ellis, Drex el Univ ersity (Decem ber 2012)

This narrative study is from the perspective of four African American adolescents experiencing homelessness. The themes that emerge from the stories of the study participants are lack of consistent adult support, illegal activity as a necessary means of escape, education as a means to overcome adversity, and hope for the future. The stories of these youth provide insight into the lived experiences of African American youth experiencing homelessness in an effort to gain understanding of the support and opportunities that may assist these young people in achieving their goals.

C A HO MELESS YO UTH PR O JEC T - 900 N ST., SAC R AMENTO , C A 95814. PH (916) 653-7843