Three Councilmembers introduced a bill this week to provide $10 million each fiscal year for a plan to end youth homelessness, an idea proposed by the D.C. Alliance of Youth Advocates.
The End Youth Homelessness Amendment Act of 2014 — introduced by Mary Cheh, Jim Graham and Kenyan McDuffie — would amend the Homeless Services Reform Act to require the Interagency Council on Homelessness to prepare a comprehensive plan to end youth homelessness by 2020 and submit it to the Council. It would also require the ICH to include unaccompanied minors in the winter hypothermia plan, which guarantees shelter to all residents, and require the Department of Human Services to establish a grant program to fund street outreach and conduct an extended youth count.
DCAYA released its plan to end youth homelessness in October 2013, with a Year One strategy that addresses prevention, intervention and evaluation.
Innovative Prevention
Implement evidence-based family reunification projects Jumpstart a citywide host-home program Rapid Intervention
Increase capacity for emergency shelter and low barrier transitional housing Implement a coordinated entry for youth which includes street outreach Create two drop-in centers for youth engagement, respite, and referral Systematize cultural competency trainings to serve the needs of diverse youth Evaluation
Conduct an extended point-in-time study Systematically track outcomes, utilization rates, and turn-aways across services Adjust emphases and funding levels based on need/capacity gaps
The plan calls for $10 million to implement this part of the plan, which the bill provides for in the DHS budget.
“The introduction of this legislation is a critical step forward in addressing the issue of youth homelessness,” DCAYA’s executive director Maggie Riden said in a release. “Its focus on prevention, strong intervention and the inclusion of stabilizing resources to reflect a ‘whole child – whole family’ approach and we look forward to the legislation’s passage.”
