Committee to Address Youth Experiencing Homelessness

In 2017, Columbus was selected to participate in a 100-Day Challenge to Address Youth Homelessness by A Way Home America, a non-profit organization that creates transformative and sustained impact on tough societal challenges.

Subsequently, the Ohio Department of Development has assembled a Committee to Address Youth Experiencing Homelessness. Committee members include representatives from the Community Shelter Board, CMHA, Huckleberry House, Star House, Capital Law School, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Buckeye Ranch, Maryhaven, and YMCA Columbus.

Their focus is: 

• Unaccompanied youth under age 25 experiencing homelessness, with a focus on providing interventions for young people 14 to 24.

Their draft mission statement is:

• To plan, develop and oversee a community-wide system that effectively provides a safe place to call home for all unaccompanied youth under age 25 every day.

One of their goals is:

• To develop a System Map in order to identify providers and entities that target or assist youth 18-24, and to better understand how the client pathway to receive resources works. 

Contact Person 
Mr. Kim Stands, Human Services Coordinator
Department of Development
50 W. Gay St. 4th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215
Desk: 614.645.7571
Cell: 614.216.9397

Oregon initiative to recruit Host Homes

Youth who are “new” to our streets
are more likely to become chronically homeless
if we do not intervene within 15 nights.

The 15th Night is a community-wide partnership that helps more than 300 Oregon youth who are navigating school and life alone, without a permanent place to spend the night. 

Bringing together existing community resources, the 15th Night focuses these resources on the safety and well-being of vulnerable youth who do not have a parent or guardian to support them.

In coordination with The 15th Night, A Family For Every Child will be providing three services to the 15th Night network: mentoring, family finding, and host homes. AFFEC has been providing mentoring and family finding for a decade, but host homes are a new program created to fill the housing gap in their community.

Supports provided to Host Homes
"Housing providers are not allotted monthly stipends for supporting the youth and they assume a parental role in the relationship. However, the pair will be supported throughout the duration of their match by AFFEC and the 15th Night network. By being connected to the network, AFFEC can help youth get their Oregon ID, food stamps, clothing vouchers, and other necessities. It is not expected that those taking youth into their homes will take on a heavy financial burden when providing this service."

Host Home provider MUST have:

• An available, private bedroom for the youth that has a bed, a window, and space for them to store their belongings.
• At least one adult, age 26+, who permanently resides in the home.
• Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Either renters or house insurance.
• An economically stable living situation.

Application Process:

1. Fill out a volunteer application. If you are looking at the form and Host Home is not listed, fill out the mentor portion of the application and indicate that you are applying for Host Homes.
2. Complete a background check and pass a sex offender registry check.
3. Pass a reference check. You will provide 3 references in your volunteer application that the program director will contact individually.
4. Have a homestudy completed. This involves a member of the AFFEC staff asking you a series of questions and touring your home.
5. Complete the orientation period.

For more information, please contact:
Emma Stahl
Permanency Director
emma@afamilyforeverychild.org (541) 343-2856
1675 W 11th Ave. Eugene, OR 97402

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One in 10 young adults, ages 18-25 years old experience homelessness

Adolescence and young adulthood represent a key developmental window. 
Every day of housing instability and the associated stress represents a missed opportunity to support healthy development and transitions to productive adulthood. 

 As a nation, we are missing opportunities to ensure that all young people can reach their full

potential and contribute to stronger communities and economies across the country.

Did you know that: 

• One in 10 young adults 18-25 years old experience homelessness?  (3.5 million)

This new report Missed Opportunities from Voices of Youth Count, an initiative of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, is the first in a series aimed at shining a spotlight on the quiet but enormous crisis of unaccompanied youth homelessness in America.

The study — also published in the Journal of Adolescent Health — captures youth homelessness broadly, including sleeping on the streets, in shelters, running away, being kicked out, and couch surfing. Homeless youth are at risk of hunger, poor health outcomes, physical violence, rape, and sexual exploitation.

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