Champions of Change in the Fight Against Child and Youth Homelessness
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Champions of Change in the Fight against Child and Youth Homelessness Champion of Change: Each week, the White Sherilyn Adams, Executive Director House Champions of Larkin Street Youth Services Change program San Francisco, CA highlights the stories and examples of Americans, businesses, or organizations who embody 'Innovate, “All young people—regardless of their life circumstances—deserve Educate, and Build.' the chance to reach their full potential.” Different groups are highlighted each week Sherilyn Adams, LCSW, is executive director of Larkin Street Youth Services, San ranging from educators to Francisco’s largest nonprofit provider serving the diverse needs of homeless and entrepreneurs to runaway youth. Sherilyn has over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit social community activists. service sector, where she’s managed a variety of programs; she came to Larkin Street USICH and the White in 2003, pursuing a lifelong passion to serve children and teens. Larkin Street Youth House Office of Public Services was founded in 1984 as a neighborhood effort to divert homeless youth from Engagement hosted an San Francisco’s streets and is now San Francisco’s most comprehensive non-profit event on July 12, 2012 at agency committed to meeting the unique needs of homeless and runaway youth, the White House to honor offering 25 programs operating from 15 sites citywide. those who are "Winning the Future" and who Over the past 28 years, Larkin Street has grown into a nationally and internationally further empower and recognized leader in the youth services field by offering innovative, effective, and inspire other members of replicable solutions to youth homelessness in San Francisco. The agency provides a their respective robust continuum of services that includes emergency, transitional, and permanent communities. The housing; wraparound case management; primary and behavioral health care; and Champions honored here education and employment support to help youth build the skills they need for long- truly embody innovative, term, sustainable self-sufficiency. inclusive, and holistic Community Need approaches to child and youth homelessness in Larkin Street estimates that 5,700 youth between the ages of 12 and 24 find their communities. themselves without a safe place to call home every year in San Francisco. While there is no standard demographic profile for the youth Larkin Street serves—they represent every race, ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, and socioeconomic background—they share common histories of abuse and neglect. Many are products of the child welfare or juvenile justice system; most have profound educational deficits and no work history; and few have had any positive adult role models in their lifetimes. The keys to Larkin Street Youth Services’ success include: a deep commitment to rigorous strategic planning, the agency commits significant resources every three or five years to assess successes and service gaps and to create a sound plan to guide future work; infrastructure investment, a strong organization requires adequate facilities, administrative support, and technology that keep pace with program growth; and an exceptional leadership team, Larkin Street has the right people in place on the senior staff team and Board of Directors to ensure an ambitious, unified vision and the ability to operationalize it. Impact Larkin Street Youth Services serves more than 3,000 youth (ages 12 – Innovation on the Ground 24) annually through its programs. Even as the need for services Larkin Street offers an increases and resources dwindle throughout the recessionary innovative model of care for economy, Larkin Street’s impact is profound: three out of four youth homeless youth that supports who complete a Larkin Street housing program secures stable housing, three key long-term outcomes: leaving the street life behind. As a sign of strength and growth, Larkin (1) housing stability, Street added 86 new transitional housing beds for youth in San (2) sustainable employment, Francisco since 2007, increasing the citywide capacity by 50 percent. and Currently, 24 more beds are in the pipeline for 2014. (3) completion of at least two Community Partners years of post-secondary education. Larkin Street Youth Services partners widely, working with corporations to place youth in internships, housing developers to The model is a comprehensive ensure youth are part of homeless services citywide, and educators so approach offering youth youth succeed at City College of San Francisco. Larkin Street’s goals for experiencing homelessness these partnerships are to: (1) improve the life chances of homeless and everything from emergency housed disconnected youth citywide; and (2) raise the bar for shelter to permanent housing, nonprofit leaders advocating for the sector. from medical care to life skills Federal Resources training, and from crisis Larkin Street Services has a $14 million operating budget supported by intervention to college a diversity of funding, including approximately 23 percent city funding, scholarships. 20 percent state funding, 19 percent federal funding, and 27 percent Larkin Street offers designated from private funding (foundation, corporate, and individual). Key housing programs for HIV+ federal funders include the Health Resources and Services youth and youth who are Administration (Part D funding to support services for HIV+ youth) and LGBTQ, and is at the forefront the Administration for of pioneering education and Children and Families employment programs—like (funding supports the Postsecondary Success street outreach, shelter Initiative—for this vulnerable and drop-in services, and hard-to-reach population. and transitional housing). Larkin Street Youth Services, San Francisco, CA Champions of Change in the Fight against Child and Youth Homelessness Champion of Change: Each week, the White Tim Baack, Executive Vice President House Champions of Pathfinders Change program Milwaukee, WI highlights the stories and examples of Americans, businesses, or organizations who “Pathfinders offers safety, hope, and healing to traumatized youth – embody 'Innovate, and it is the youth themselves, as well as the extremely talented, Educate, and Build.' caring, and creative staff I am honored to work with – who most Different groups are highlighted each week inspire me.” ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to Tim Baack currently serves as Executive Vice President of Pathfinders in Milwaukee, community activists. WI. Under his leadership, Pathfinders added two new major programs: the Youth USICH and the White Outreach Drop-In Center and the Q-BLOK LGBT Young Adults Housing Initiative. A House Office of Public strong advocate on behalf of disadvantaged youth and families, Mr. Baack also serves Engagement hosted an as Board President of the Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services, event on July 12, 2012 a statewide membership organization that promotes best practice standards and at the White House to positive youth development methods on behalf of runaway and homeless youth honor those who are serving agencies. "Winning the Future" and who further Established in 1970, Pathfinders’ broad continuum of services brings safety, hope and empower and inspire healing to thousands of ethnically and culturally diverse, low-income youth dealing other members of their with homelessness, family conflict, trauma, mental health issues, and sexual abuse. respective The organization’s mission is to help youth and families in need take charge of their communities. The lives, connect to others, and contribute to the community. Champions honored here truly embody Community Need innovative, inclusive, According to the Milwaukee Public School’s Homeless Education Program, an and holistic approaches estimated 3,000 youth under the age of 18 are currently homeless. For transitioning to child and youth young adults (18 through 25), exceptionally high school drop-out and unemployment homelessness in their rates lead to even greater risk of exploitation and homelessness. Recent research also communities. provides evidence of disproportionately high rates of trauma and homelessness amongst LGBT-identified young people – youth who remain consistently marginalized and discriminated against by both the community at-large as well as by well-intended but ill-informed local service providers. There is an important phrase in the RHY field regarding youth work: “No talking about us without us.” When youth are allowed to use their own voice to communicate what services and resources they need, then effective and well utilized programs can result. Impact Innovation on the Ground Outcomes are an essential element to all the programs and services offered by Pathfinders. Annually, over 90 percent of runaway and Positive youth development homeless youth leave emergency shelter care to return to their families is the cornerstone of the or to an acceptable safe alternative, and more than 80 percent of young work Pathfinders adults in Q-BLOK demonstrate effective independent living skills, keep accomplishes on behalf of its their own apartment, and achieve success with school and/or runaway and homeless employment. Over 85 percent of youth served via street-based outreach youth clients. Youth are evidence positive changes and reduced risk of sexual exploitation, and members of the paid and nearly 95 percent of case managed youth in the Drop-In Center evidence volunteer staff, and substantial progress in improving their school status, demonstrating