The New York City Association of
Homeless and Street-Involved Youth Organizations’

State of the City’s
Homeless Youth Report 2003

TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAMS

When she was only 15, both of Sandy's parents died of AIDS. She then moved into a relative's home for a few years, but was eventually thrown out. In October, Sandy, with no other stable support system, was forced to enter a crisis center at age 19. Sandy has steadily kept a job since she entered the crisis center and is ready to move into transitional living.  Though Sandy has taken great steps toward achieving independence, she is without her own support system of people to help her and therefore requires transitional living.

Sandy has already completed one year of college and begun to save money for her final year. Her current unstable living situation has encouraged her to postpone her studies as she awaits placement within a transitional living program.

Sandy's counselor has her on two transitional living waiting lists; these were the only two, according to the counselor, that will accept her and may have an open bed anytime soon. She has been waiting over a month, and continues to live in a state of crisis, which is not conducive to her aspirations to receive her Associate's Degree, maintain a job, and become a self-sufficient woman.

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUE

            Homeless youth, 16 to 21 years of age, are often seen as adults and are, subsequently, expected to be independent. However, they need a safe, stable environment, in which they may live and begin to work toward independent living. These young people may have initiative and motivation to make it on their own, but without support, guidance, and skills that most adolescents have, they may not become successful and independent adults. The lack of independent/transitional living programs, however, makes the goal of independence difficult for these youth to achieve.

             Alarmingly, there is a significant lack of these vital transitional living programs in New York City for the estimated 20,000 homeless youth, ages 16 to 21. 

             Successful independent living programs provide youth with an opportunity to pursue independent living by working, saving money, and practicing life skills.  Such life skills include job retention, obtaining employment, budgeting, paying rent, preparing meals, doing chores, looking for an apartment, and planning the move to one's own place.

            These programs not only give youth the time they need to build their skills, but also their self-esteem.  Many of these young people have been abandoned, neglected, and abused.  TLPs provide time to build positive, healthy relationships and confidence in their ability to create a better life for themselves.  As one young person and TLP resident said, her TLP gave her space to “make mistakes” and to learn from them.

            Most homeless youth become homeless through no fault of their own.  One third of the 5,000 youth that seek shelter at one of the larger crisis shelters come from New York City’s foster care system. It is in our City's best interest to foster the goals of self-sufficiency that are prevalent among this group. Unfortunately, the current shortage of transitional living beds helps shatter our young people's aspirations of independence rather than encourage them.

            Although growing national attention towards self-sustained living programs has translated into the passage of The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 as well as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 'Continuum of Care' model, young people continue to struggle with meager supports in their arduous path toward independent living. While both of these landmark efforts were adopted with an intention to help young people avoid long-term public dependence; these initiatives have not yet resolved transitional living shortages. Even though there is a clear consensus that homeless and at-risk youth require services to meet their goal of independent living, the dearth of options is a reality facing thousands of young people in New York City.

            While the New York City Police Department estimates that there are between 20,000 and 40,000 homeless young people, the number of transitional living beds does not meet the demand.  There are 283 total transitional living beds in New York City currently.  Of those 283, 97 beds are designated for males, 96 beds for young women without children; 70 beds for young mothers with children (34 for the mothers and 36 for the children), and 20 beds for male, female, or transgender.  Some of these programs are supported by city funds, some by federal funds, and some by private fundraising.

            It is the City's young mothers and children who perhaps suffer the most. As the current shortage of transitional living beds available for them increases, they are forced to seek help from the Emergency Assistance Unit, which often finds them ineligible for shelter because of their age and otherwise fails to meet their distinct needs.

GAPS IN SERVICES

During last year, the reorganization of New York City's transitional living programs resulted in fewer options for young people. While the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development took steps to address some of the growing needs of homeless youth with a recent budget increase of $1.8 million, the necessary development of transitional living did not transpire.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGAMS

·  Realize and respond to the specific shortage of transitional living beds for youth in New York City.

·  Provide transitional housing opportunities for populations that have difficulty accessing the current transitional living programs, including ex-offenders, youth with psychiatric histories, substance users who do not abstain from use, teen mothers with children, and transgender youth.

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