Everyone deserves a safe home...especially our youth.
The Lewiston-Auburn Homeless Youth Program offers assistance to youth who are at risk of becoming homeless. It is designed as an outreach program to connect youth with a safe place to stay and the necessary resources for stability in the community. We are proud to be a participating agency with the United Way of Androscoggin County.
Youth homelessness is a complex issue that places youth in our communities at risk of sexual violence, alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency and truancy. It can also tear fragile families apart and can have this affect on families of all incomes and backgrounds. 2005 data from the Muskie School of Public Service indicates that 318 youth ages 0-17 were living in homeless or emergency shelters. While this number is high, the actual number of homeless youth is much higher. Most homeless youth are living in substandard housing or without adequate parental care. They may live doubled or tripled up with friends, “couch surfing”—spending the night wherever they can find a place to sleep, or staying in places not usually considered fit for habitation. These may be youth in intact families and youth who are unaccompanied. In all of these instances, these youth are discovered by our team as they work in the community. We have become recognized and trusted by these youth as a safe place to turn to address their varied needs during this period. Read youth's stories>
Risk factors for homelessness, including extreme poverty, domestic violence, child abuse and poor links to resources impact youth especially hard. Youth are more likely to be living in poverty than adults. In Androscoggin County, over 15% of youth are living in poverty. Because of their age, youth face greater barriers to accessing services on their own and securing employment and housing. Moreover, among youth ages 18-25, homelessness is a top concern as indicated by the 2007 Community Profile produced by Healthy Androscoggin.
Across all the focus groups, substance abuse and mental health were also main themes. Homeless youth are often in need of treatment and support in these areas as substance abuse and mental health can contribute to reasons why a youth does not remain at home and these problems can be exacerbated or emerge when youth are living in unstable and unsafe conditions. These problems can also contribute to the youth being at risk for homelessness as adults. Approximately 45% of shelter occupants have mental health problems while 60% of homeless adults have a drug or alcohol dependency problem (A Proposal to Reduce Homelessness: Maine’s Strategic Plan, 2001). Last year, Volunteers of America served 75 youth. This year to date, we have served 65 individual clients and families and expect to serve approximately 85 youth by the end of the year. 49 clients have received Case Management services this year a significant increase from 32 last year.
Meeting basic needs is often the impetus behind a youth’s initial involvement with services of any kind. The relationship that is established through food outreach, provision of clothing, school supplies and transportation helps to build trust with the youth and open the door to providing case management services. 100% of Volunteers of America HIP clients have accessed these types of services. Of those, 75% decided to access Case Management services for help getting identification, insurance, education, employment, mental health services and housing.
