Runaway and Homeless Youth Study/Action Plan 2018St. Croix Family Resource Center

609 5th Street South

Stillwater, Minnesota 55082

651-231-7807

1

Acknowledgements

This study was made possible through the generosity of the District Rotary Foundation grants fund from Rotary International District 5960 and the following Rotary Clubs:

Stillwater Sunrise Club 22065 Lake Elmo Rotary Club 70275 Stillwater Noon Rotary Club 2171 New Brighton- Mounds View Rotary Club 2155 Lakeville Rotary Club 24438

Thank you to Joan Countryman whom the St. Croix Family Resource Center contracted with to do this study and to all the organizations and agencies who gave their time and insight into the issue of youth homelessness.

The St. Croix Family Resource Center is solely responsible for the accuracy of the opinions, statements, and interpretations contained in this report. Any errors or misrepresentations in this work should be reported to the St. Croix Family Resource Center. Please contact Cindy Parsons, Executive Director, St. Croix Family Resource Center at c.parsons@stcroixfrc with feedback.

This work is dedicated to the many youth who have been or currently are homeless.

2

OVERVIEW

Youth homelessness is prevalent in all sectors of the United States, it shows no boundaries.

“Every year, as many as 550,000 young people are homeless for more than a week, according to estimates by the National Alliance to End Homelessness. On the street, youth can become victims of violence, develop serious mental health and addiction problems, and be forced to trade sex for basic needs.” (Family and Youth Services Bureau fact sheet Issue History, May 2017)

This study came out of strong community interest in homeless youth after St. Croix Family Resource Center organized a Building Community Event on “Homelessness and Trauma”, February 22, 2017. A small group (about 20) decided to continue to meet regarding homeless youth in Washington County. No one non-profit organization had the time to provide an in-depth look into the issue. With many thanks to Brett Emmons, a Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club Member, for inviting St. Croix Family Resource Center to apply for a Rotary grant, a small short-term contract was procured to take a deeper look into the issues facing youth. This specific study and action plan will help lead and guide the work of addressing youth homelessness in Washington County Minnesota. This is not a scientific study; it is meant to understand the needs, desires and gaps in providing a network of safety for youth living in our communities.

This study has been broken down into three main sections comprised of information gathered through in person interviews, phone interviews, youth focus groups, youth surveys and research. The three sections are the following:

Governmental entities Non-profits/stakeholders Youth

For this report, youth experiencing homelessness fall into two distinct categories, minor youth ages 13-17 (also referred to as minor unaccompanied homeless youth) and older youth ages 18-24 (youth/young adults). Both age sets come with their own strengths and challenges. Minor youth are not “technically” considered “homeless; if they are not in their home they should be in a system. These systems include: Child Protection, Juvenile Justice, Foster Care and Group Homes. However, we know that many youth who are not in their homes are also not involved in systems. Youth are staying with friends, couch hopping, staying in a car, unstably housed (unsafe such as a fish house or shed) or on the streets. Youth can also be found staying with relatives or friends that are arranged as permanent housing.

Older youth/young adults who experience homelessness have a lack of financial resources, are aging out of foster care, experience mental or chemical health problems, have left or been kicked out of a parents or caregivers home. This type of homelessness does not have a vibrant system to fall back on for assistance. There are points of contact through social services agencies for resources such as transitional housing and through the county for general emergency assistance and low-income housing. These programs are difficult to access, are few

3

and far between, for youth living in a large county who may not have access to a car and little public transportation available.

Finding a definitive number of youth experiencing homelessness has been a challenge in many communities. Youth move from place to place and their homeless status is hidden within our communities. Specifically, in areas with no services in place for youth the number is unknown. This invisible struggle youth grapple with is experienced in both inner city and rural communities. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago undertook a national study which was released in 2017, called “Voices of Youth Count” below is a section outlining what was found and an introduction to Chapin Hall.

“Voices of Youth Count is an unprecedented policy research initiative to understand, address and prevent youth homelessness in America. Infused with youth voices and strengthened by reach into nearly 30,000 U.S. households and 22 diverse communities, the research provides robust information to support effective policies, practices and programs that will end youth homelessness.”

“To gain a fuller picture, Voices of Youth Count primarily draws on a nationally representative phone survey for national estimates in this brief, but we also include some insights from other research components—like in-depth interviews and brief youth surveys that took place during local Youth Counts across the country.

The national survey interviewed 26,161 people, who were broadly representative of the population of the nation, during 2016 and 2017. The study interviewed adults whose households had youth and young adults ages 13-25 over the year and respondents who were ages 18-25. The respondents then answered questions about occurrences of different types of youth homelessness experienced by the respondents themselves (if ages 18-25) or by young people (ages 13-25) who were in the household.”

“Results indicate that, despite more visible signs of homelessness such as youth asking for help on city corners, youth in rural, suburban, and urban counties experience very similar prevalence rates of homelessness. In predominantly rural counties, 9.2% of young adults reported any homelessness while, in predominantly urban counties, the prevalence rate was 9.6%. Household prevalence of any homelessness among adolescents ages 13-17 was 4.4% in predominantly rural counties and 4.2% in mainly urban counties.

Said differently, this means that as a share of the population size, youth homelessness is just as much of a challenge in rural communities as it is in more urban communities. Of course, the number of youth experiencing homelessness in urban and suburban areas is much larger than the number in rural areas because a larger share of the US population lives in urban and suburban areas. As a country, we need tailored strategies to reach all of these young people.

One interesting distinction is that youth in rural communities seem to rely more on couch surfing, probably due to a lack of shelter and housing services in their communities. The national survey suggests modestly higher rates of couch surfing in the least densely populated counties when compared to those with the highest density. But the national survey did not show where there might have been heavier reliance on some sleeping arrangements over

4

others because its aim was to assess whether a youth couch surfed at all. The 4,000 in-person Youth Count surveys across 22 counties, on the other hand, show sleeping arrangements on a given night. This component of the research found that youth experiencing homelessness in rural counties were twice as likely as youth in medium and large population counties to be staying with others, rather than in shelters or on the streets, on the night of the count. These cross-component findings underscore how hidden many young people are who experience homelessness in rural settings and the need for more creative identification and outreach approaches to support them.” (Morton, M.H., Dworsky, A., & Samuels, G.M. (2017). Missed opportunities: Youth homelessness in America. National estimates. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.)

Washington County is part of the seven-county metro area, however it is also made up of small towns and rural farm areas. That said, it is assumed that youth in Washington County are made up of youth that tend to be more hidden in their homeless experience (couch hopping and staying with friends).

GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES

The following section was completed by interviewing specific employees of agencies and seeking information on youth in crisis or runaway/homeless youth – unaccompanied minor youth and youth/adults. When interviewing, agencies were asked, if information shared could be used in this report. Permission was granted for all the information shared in this study.

Law Enforcement:

Minnesota State Patrol (interview with four officers)

State Patrol Officers said they do not deal with homelessness in Washington County like they do in the inner city. They explained that they do not find homeless people under bridges who they need to ask to move off the roadways. They said that youth homelessness in not something in the realm of their day to day duties.

Washington County Sheriff Department:

Sherriff Dan Starry

Sergeant Ty Jacobs

Sheriff Dan Starry states [youth homelessness] “certainly is prevalent in Washington County and the department does come across it. The challenge is finding services youth need”. The Sheriff Department reports that when called to intercede in a crisis or a call involving a youth, time is spent with youth looking into their history and if it is safe for a youth to stay in the home. If a youth is not able to stay at home, they will problem solve with the youth/family to attempt to find a temporary safety plan for where the youth can go. If it is a crisis they will call on Canvas Health Mobile Crisis Team, Red Cross or Youth Service Bureau for intervention. They will also try to utilize Harbor Shelter for placement in Hastings. They report that Harbor Shelter is sometimes full. Sergeant Jacobs stated that finding a housing solution is the largest issue and they would utilize an unsecured emergency shelter if there was one.

5

Local Police Departments in Washington County Chief of Police Officers: Bayport Police, Chief Laura Eastman; Cottage Grove Police, Detective Sergeant Randy McAlister; Forest Lake Police, Chief Peterson Director of Public Health; Oak Park Police, Chief Brian DeRosier; Oakdale Police Chief William Sullivan; St. Paul Park Police, Chief Danberg; Stillwater Chief John Gannaway; Woodbury Chief Lee Vague.

Each of the local police departments which Countryman spoke with reported similar issues.

Stillwater Police

Chief Gannaway

Chief Gannaway reported that they do see homeless youth but not in large numbers. They see both minor youth homelessness and ages 18 through 24 homeless older youth. Chief Gannaway believes that repeated youth homelessness causes behavioral problems because there are no services or interventions. Gannaway gives a lot of credit to officers, schools and child protection for their work with homeless youth. When minor youth are homeless, child protection is called. Gannaway stated that it is very time consuming for officers working with youth that are ages 18 and over to find places for them to stay. He also said that then officers become social workers and they would welcome any assistance.

Woodbury Police

Chief Vague

Detective Richardson

Chief Vague stated, “The city of Woodbury is not immune to the problem of youth homelessness. Our officers are always open to additional resources they can offer to kids in need”. Richardson reports that the school resource officers meet twice a year to explore what trends they are seeing with youth. Richardson stated that they see more runaway youth who may be leaving the home due to strict rules and then couch hop. Youth are identified for the most part through the school system. Police work with schools, agencies and Washington County to meet the needs that arise. Vague and Richardson stated that Woodbury Police have been successful in working with sexually exploited youth. The went on to say that the youth may be living at home and going to school and involved in exploitation.

Bayport Police

Chief Eastman

Chief Eastman reported that it is hard to find placement for youth and with no reason for arrest, there is no place for youth to go. Bayport Police will use Harbor Shelter for placement if there is space.

6

Forest Lake Police

Chief Peterson

Chief Peterson states that their “biggest job is to problem solve to find food, shelter or family” for youth to access. Chief Peterson went on to say that some of the officers will use their own money to assist homeless with food or clothing. They may take people to churches, or to Goodwill if not dressed for the climate. Chief Peterson relayed that typical contact is through a concerned person reporting on someone sleeping in a car or in a wooded area in a tent. The department is not big enough to take note of numbers and track the issues. He said that it is hidden and goes under the radar and suggested the schools would have more information. Chief Peterson said it would be “nice to have multiple resources and access to help when they do come across homelessness”.

Oak Park Heights Police

Chief DeRosier

Chief DeRosier stated that the “issue is frustrating with no after-hours resources other than finding family to assist youth”. They end up driving “40-50 miles to get youth to safety” They see youth homelessness in domestic crisis calls where youth are involved and have no where to go, youth in couch hopping situations, on the streets and runaways. When youth are encountered they will bring them to a health facility such as United Hospital in St. Paul or to Hastings to Harbor Shelter if there is space.

St. Paul Park Police

Chief Danberg

Chief Danberg stated that they are called on to intercede with youth who are experiencing homelessness. It is typically seen in youth ages 15 and up and youth who are couch hopping. When an officer does run into a youth out of their home, they will spend time problem solving with the youth to go home. If the situation is unsafe for the youth, the officer will call social services and utilize Harbor Shelter. If they go on a domestic call between a parent and youth they will refer to Youth Service Bureau Mobile Crisis Team.

Oakdale Police

Chief, William Sullivan

Chief Sullivan stated that they see more adult and transient homelessness. Periodically they will get called to parent/youth domestic situations. At that time officers provide “endless problem solving” with families. When needed Washington County Social Services is called.

7

Office of the Washington County Attorney

Pete Orput, County Attorney

Anthony Zdroil, Juvenile Division Chief

Imran S. Ali, Assistant County Attorney

Orput, Zdroil and Ali stated that homeless and runaway youth are often living with friends and relatives, and it does not always come to the attention of The Attorney Office. The Attorney Office currently has about 10-12 runaway petitions. Runaway petitions are called “CHIPS” (Children in Need of Protection or Services). There are several case types under the heading of CHIPS. They are child protection, truancy, runaway, delinquencies under the age of 10 years old, and voluntary placement cases. Related case types include permanency through transfer of permanent legal and physical custody to a relative and termination of parental rights. After investigation by the county social services agency and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, which includes a determination that there is sufficient proof that the child is CHIPS, a Petition may be filed with the court. The Court Administrator's office prepares a Summons and Notice of Hearing and provides for service of Summons and Notice with the petition on the parties named in the case. A hearing Notice is also sent to participants named in the case. A case may be resolved by agreement of the parties or may require a trial before a judge. If the case goes to trial, the judge will decide whether the child is CHIPS or not.” (http://www.mncourts.gov)

Orput, Zdroil and Ali report that there is not a safe place for kids to go and a shortage of foster homes. They would like to see a non-secure setting for youth to go to (shelter). The office works hard to eliminate sexual exploitation. They have seen about 30 victims including one runaway. The County Attorney Office have included the following information on a brochure on their website.

“National Statistics

1 in 3 runaway children are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of running away

The average age of entry into prostitution in the U.S. is 12-14

244,000 American children are estimated to be at risk of child sexual exploitation

1.2 million children are trafficked each year globally

800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year

Minnesota Statistics

The FBI has identified the Twin Cities as one of 13 U.S. cities with a high incidence rate of child prostitution.

A November 2010 study found that each month in Minnesota at least 213 girls are sold for sex an average of five times per day through the Internet and escort services.

This number does not include hotel, street or gang activity.

8

A November 2010 study found that on any given weekend night in Minnesota, 45 girls under age 18 are sold for sex through the internet classified websites and escort services”

(“The New Generation of Sex Trafficking" brochure. https://www.co.washington.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/12294).

Washington County Community Development Agency (CDA)

Ann Lindquist, Housing Coordinator

Lindquist has a long history of working with homelessness in Washington County. Ann stated that it is very difficult for youth18-24 to establish themselves by renting apartments or homes, particularly with no rental history. Lindquist stated that with the long geographic county, youth are both suburban and rural and to reach services as an unaccompanied minor it is difficult. Lindquist suggested that a crisis line may help. For youth to go into the urban metro, “it will take youth out of their comfort zone”. Lindquist shared antidotal information of Washington County youth staying in ice houses in the winter and camping when experiencing homelessness.

Washington County Department of Child Protection

Sarah Amundson, Community Service Division Manager

Nissa Knutson, Social Services Supervisor

Amundson and Knutson report seeing youth that are runaway or homeless, but not often. Youth either go to Harbor Shelter for placement or if they are couch hopping with a friend and the friend’s parent agrees to have them there – no child protective services (CPS) case is opened. They agree that there is a gap in services for youth with mental health issues and no place for youth or families to go to seek services overnight. Nissa shared her opinion (not from the county position she holds but as a parent) that a shelter for youth not requiring a placement is needed as well as drop-in sites for basic needs.

Washington County Mental Health and HOST

Therese Gilbertson, Adult Mental Health Clinical and Community Services and Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) Supervisor

Jacob Wasmund, Senior Social Worker for HOST

“Washington County Homeless Outreach Services Team outreaches individuals who may be homeless or tenuously housed through daily walk in hours, homeless services phone line or outreach to individuals in the community. Currently, the Homeless Outreach Services Team assesses families, single adults and single young adults ages 18-24 for vulnerabilities that may impact their housing and homelessness. A coordinated assessment process has been implemented throughout the state of Minnesota to standardize individual needs of the homeless and to assure that the most vulnerable are housed first. In Washington County, from 1/2015 through 12/31/2016, 40 homeless youth between the ages of 18-24 have been assessed through Coordinated Entry. Of the 40 young adults that have been assessed, the Homeless Outreach Services Team has assisted 17 young adults find housing. The Homeless Outreach

9

Services Team is able to provide short term case management services for young adults who are mentally ill and/or chemically dependent and homeless or at risk of homelessness; the focus of case management services focus on assisting with finding housing, connecting with needed mental health services and tenancy support services once housing has been found.”

State of Minnesota DHS

Andrea Simonett, Grant Administrator (provision of technical assistance for MN Dept of Human Services Homeless Youth Act and Safe Harbor Housing and Shelter funds)

Simonett stated that homeless youth in Washington County are at a disadvantage because “young people would need to uproot to go into the cities for services or they could be in jeopardy of being in unsafe situations”. Simonett went on to state that “youth need to belong, be connected in schools and their community and that is vital for youth development”. As far as programming for rural areas she has seen some success with Host Homes where parents sign a Delegation of Parental Authorities (DOPA) and a youth is placed in a friend’s home who attends the same school. Funding and support has been granted to the family taking in the youth. The State of Minnesota oversees Homeless Youth Act (HYA) and Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) funding provided through Requests for Proposals (RFP) to gain grant funds for homeless youth programming.

Institute for Community Alliances (ICA)

Swathi Mummini, Data Analyst

ICA collects data on homelessness by tracking Coordinated Entry (CE) Assessment (CE is defined to mean a centralized or coordinated process designed to coordinate program participant intake, assessment, and provision of referrals) and Homeless Management Information System Data (HMIS) which is a federally mandated system. The following report was requested and received for Washington County youth within their systems.

“WASHINGTON COUNTY – YOUTH NUMBERS

SUMMARY

Washington County Youth Assessed for Services

Between January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017, 33 youth entering the coordinated entry system in the state of Minnesota identified Washington County as their county of primary residence. 31 were added to the SMAC priority list, 1 was added to Ramsey’s priority list, and 1 was added to both lists.

Washington County Youth Using Shelters/Transitional Housing

Between January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017, 32 youth served by emergency shelter and 3 served by transitional housing programs in Minnesota identified Washington County as their county of prior residence.

METHODOLOGY

10

For the purposes of this report, only unaccompanied youth were considered. Details below describe how youth were defined in each data set.

Washington County Youth Assessed for Services

The data pull included all clients who entered the coordinated entry system statewide from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017, filtered for all clients under the age of 25 at the time of entry. Entering the coordinated entry system is defined as being added to the HMIS Priority Lists through ServicePoint transactions. By this point, clients have been presumably assessed for coordinated entry, completing the VI-SPDAT and comprehensive coordinated entry assessment. After deleting test clients, this list totaled 2,860 clients.

From this pool of 2,860 clients, youth were identified as clients who identified their Household Type as “Single” or “Youth-Single.” If the Household Type field was null, clients with the field Household Size: Total # of Persons noted as 1 were also identified as youth. 831 clients of the 2,860 total (29.0%) did not have either field completed and could not be categorized. 1,165 clients were identified as youth entering coordinated entry statewide. Of the 1165 clients, 79 were under 18 and 1,100 were ages 18 to 24 (94.4%). To count the Washington County youth, the 1,165 clients were filtered by the field County of Primary (Current) Residence to pull clients with the value “Washington County” entered. 109 clients of the 1,165 had null values for this field. 33 Washington County youth entering coordinated entry in HMIS the 2017 calendar year were identified.

Washington County Youth Using Shelters/Transitional Housing

To find the number of Washington County Youth served by emergency shelter and transitional housing programs, clients are identified based on their active ServicePoint transactions (project enrollment status, shelter specific service transactions, ShelterPoint shelter stays or unmet needs) in open Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing providers in the period from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017. Clients were then filtered by age and household type. Youth were identified as clients who were not in an adult-child household. The 3,427 remaining clients were under 25 and not in an adult-child household relationship. Of the 3,427 clients, 831 clients did not have a value selected, and 37 identified Washington County as their County of Prior Residence. Of the 35, 3 were under the age 10. We did not consider these clients in the results total.

RESULTS

The following data counts for between January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

Washington County Youth Assessed for Services through Coordinated Entry

Ages 10 - 17 = 0

Ages 18 - 24 = 32

Washington County Youth Using Shelters

Ages 10-17 = 9

11

Ages 18-24 = 23

Youth Using Transitional Housing

Ages 10 - 17 = 0

Ages 18 - 24 = 3

NOTES/LIMITATIONS

In process of determining the number of youth assessed for services through coordinated entry, 29% of clients under 25 did not have the Household Size or Household Type question answered and could not be categorized for the purposes of this report.

Clients under the age 18 require a HMIS ROI to be signed by a guardian. This limits the number of clients under age 18 entered in HMIS. Youth may be assessed for services through coordinated entry and routed to non-HMIS priority lists. This report is limited to youth entered in HMIS.

County of Primary (Current) Residence was used to identify youth assessed for services from Washington County, while County of Prior Residence was used to identify youth served by emergency shelter and transitional housing from Washington County. The questions are designed to collect different types of information. 9.3% of qualified clients had County of Primary (Current) Residence missing and 24.2% of qualified clients had no values selected for County of Prior Residence.”

Continuum of Care (CoC) From https://www.icalliances.org/minnesota Website

A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a community strategic plan to coordinate, organize and deliver housing and services and promote community-wide commitment to reduce the incidences of homelessness. CoCs also apply for funding to address homelessness from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They are held responsible for the HMIS system under federal regulation.”

“By federal mandate, each Continuum of Care (CoC) across the United States is responsible for selecting an HMIS software solution that complies with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data collection, management, and reporting standards. Minnesota’s CoCs agreed to use the same software vendor, Mediware, who developed ServicePoint (“ServicePoint is a web-based software system used by human services organizations to easily manage and coordinate services, guide resource allocation and demonstrate effectiveness”. https://www.mediware.com.) In addition, each CoC provides funding to support the statewide MN HMIS system.

Suburban Metro Area CoC (SMAC)

Abby Guilford, SMAC Coordinator

Washington County is one of the counties within SMAC, along with Scott, Carver, Anoka and Dakota Counties. Guilford states that Washington County is the least covered county in SMAC. “With little to no services provided in Washington County it is difficult to identify the need”.

12

There are limited access points for Coordinated Entry for youth in the county. Guilford notes that there has been success when grass roots efforts organize around the needs in the suburban metro. Guilford stated that each community should be able to provide the same or similar services so that youth do not need to leave their community to seek services.

Point in Time (PIT) count “provides the homeless assistance community with data needed to understand the number and characteristics of persons who are homeless at one point-in-time. CoCs are required to conduct their PIT counts during the last ten days of January 2018” (https://www.hudexchange.info) Many in the homeless field find the dates of the PIT count are not as helpful in colder regions and it is difficult to get a clear count.

Within SMAC, counties have the following services for youth:

Scott/Carver Counties - Launch Ministries (drop-in) and Hope House, a six-bed shelter for 14-19-year-old youth run through 180 Degrees (a non-profit agency)

Anoka County has just opened (in March 2018) a school dorm called Life Prep Academy in Spring Lake Park for 14-18-year-old youth experiencing homelessness or are at risk of being homeless

Dakota County has a drop-in center C.O.R.E.) located in Apple Valley through The Link (a non-profit agency)

Washington County does not have a youth shelter or drop-in center

Minnesota Department of Education, District Homeless Liaisons,

Crystal Gentry, District Homeless Liaison - ISD 833 (South Washington County area)

Kristen Berkas, District Homeless Liaison - ISD 622 (Oakdale area)

Avis Fink, District Homeless Liaison - ISD 624 (Hugo area)

Eric Anderson, ISD 834 (Stillwater area)

All youth who experience homelessness have the right to free and appropriate public education. Each school district has an identified District Homeless Liaison. The liaisons work to remove any barriers for youth to attend school through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act of 2001.

Liaisons assist with youth transportation needs for youth to attend their home school. This keeps consistency in their educational goals. Gentry stated that when youth have needs beyond what South Washington County Dist. can provide they are able to post the need on a Facebook page called “South Washington Cares” and typically the needs have been responded to.

A meeting with Gentry, Berkas and Fink as a group included comments that when CPS is called for 16-17-year-old youth there is rarely a response to the report. Youth in this age range are difficult to locate and offer services to. The group reports that little to no outside of district services are allowed in the schools and they shared a common concern that wrap around services are needed for health care, abuse (dating), and basic needs for food and clothing. The liaisons count all homeless youth and children (this includes family homelessness) and do not track separate numbers for unaccompanied minor homelessness. Their numbers are from lists of youth who they know the circumstances or have come to

13

them for help. They know that the numbers provided are underreported. They stated that if youth are couch hopping and attendance is not an issue they don’t find out about the youth. Of note was the concern that youth don’t disclose homelessness due to not wanting to have CPS called, their parent notified or be involved in systems.

Between the four liaisons, they reported that last school year (2016-2017) they had identified a little over 40 unaccompanied minor youth experiencing homelessness in Washington County. Most of the youth are from South Washington County. This year the number has gone up with 33 unaccompanied homeless youth in South Washington County alone (from September 2017-March 2018). These numbers do not include Districts 200, 832, 624,831,2144.

NON-PROFIT AND COMMUNITY STAKE HOLDERS

TreeHouse

Heidi Hall, Area Director

Serving Mahtomedi, North St. Paul, Stillwater and White Bear Lake. “The vision of TreeHouse is to reach every at-risk teen, so they are loved, feel hope and realize life transformation. To accomplish this vision, we seek to fulfill our mission to bring living hope to hurting youth and families leading to life transformation. TreeHouse staff are grounded in the core values of G.R.A.C.E. [Growth, Relationships, Authenticity, Community Empowerment] which determine how we conduct ourselves in the relationships we share with donors, fellow staff and our teens.” www.treehouseyouth.org. TreeHouse has youth programs Monday and Thursday evenings at St. Andrews Lutheran Church. Hall observes more youth from Ramsey County experience homelessness. Many youth who attend TreeHouse are from families experiencing long term homeless transition. They serve about 50 youth including alumni by partnering with them and building strong and supportive relationships. Hall stated that “community education is needed because this is out there and there is a great need for services”.

Youth Service Bureau (YSB)

Andree Aronson, Development Director

Aronson reports that YSB has staff in three districts and four schools, however they are not specific to youth homelessness. There are many intersections between chemical health, mental health and youth homelessness. When the staff are aware of a youth experiencing homelessness, the staff intervene with education and resources. Aronson stated that “Washington County needs to own our stuff” and that “kids don’t consider themselves homeless if they know where they are going to sleep; it looks different in Washington County”. Finally, Aronson said that there is a “missing piece in the continuum and that is – where can youth go and stay to be safe”.

Danes Place

14

Bob Johnson, Board Member

Danes Place assists one family at a time at a house in Bayport. It is run through Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The home is used for adults/families in transition. Johnson estimates that in Washington County there are “300 people living in crisis at risk of homelessness” [unknown source]. Some of this number is the 18-24-year-old population. Johnson went on to say that with funding cuts services for all areas of homelessness are in jeopardy.

Young Life in Stillwater

John Potts, Area Director

Darla Goble, YoungLives Coordinator,

Matt McCann, Young Life/ReaLife Staff Associate

“Young Life Club is open to all high school aged students in School District 834. The program includes large group social recreational programs, small groups, mentoring, camps, retreats, and service learning opportunities.

ReaLife is Young Life’s program for at-risk students and includes students from Stillwater Area High School, The Stillwater Area School’s Alternative Learning Program, New Heights Charter School, and the Therapeutic Learning Center. ReaLife meets weekly on Thursday evenings for a shared meal, life skills training, and support groups where leaders facilitate student-initiated discussions about their current needs.

YoungLives is a teen parent mentoring program. Teens meet regularly with their mentor, forming individual relationships. We hope these relationships will provide an opportunity for mentors to love, support, and assist these teens as they take on their new roles as parents.” (From Young Life Stillwater Web site https://stillwater.younglife.org)

Staff at Young Life Stillwater collectively agree that there is a frustration in Washington County in seeking assistance when youth identify as homeless. They stated that they experience making many calls for immediate assistance and don’t hear back for several days. They stated that the YSN.MN app is helpful for real time assistance, however programs are too far away for youth to utilize – they are looking for a local solution. “Mainstream youth are suffering from emotional/mental health issues such as cutting and eating disorders”. They recommend that Washington County has drop in centers, shelter space, and scattered site transitional housing for older youth. “Faith communities are looking for leadership around issues facing youth”. In the teen parent program, it was reported that many teens are “staying in situations that are unsafe/unhealthy because there are no options so they live in bad situations with their children”. The recommendation “is a safe place for moms and kids, a stepping stone where goals can be addressed such as GED, mental health and chemical health”.

Solid Ground

15

Trisha Cummins Kauffman, Executive Director

Solid Ground is in White Bear Lake, Ramsey County in the state of Minnesota, with a small portion of the city also extends into Washington County. “At Solid Ground, we help homeless families and children to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. We provide housing and supportive services to 350 women, men and children each year in our five supportive housing programs, helping homeless families build the strong foundations they need for a brighter future”. From the web site http://www.solidgroundmn.org Cummins Kauffman stated that youth homelessness is more hidden in Washington county due to couch hopping. Cummins Kauffman went on to say that not knowing the number of youth requiring services or what the need is she is not inclined to create a shelter. Due to competing interests in housing in Washington County she would more likely support transitional or permanent housing that offer services. Concerns include not being able to sustain a shelter program. Cummins Kauffman stated that the YMCA will have Rapid Rehousing for five/six homeless youth starting in July 2018 through FHPAP funds.

Canvas Health

John Savereid, Housing Supervisor

Keara Nadeau-Grandy, Emergency Services Supervisor

Savereid states that Canvas Health has five units of permanent supportive housing for youth 18-25 with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). They must have a documented diagnosis as well as meeting the criteria as HUD Homeless.

“The new definition [of HUD Homeless] includes four broad categories of homelessness: People who are living in a place not meant for human habitation, in emergency shelter, in transitional housing, or are exiting an institution where they temporarily resided if they were in shelter or a place not meant for human habitation before entering the institution. The only significant change from existing practice is that people will be considered homeless if they are exiting an institution where they resided for up to 90 days (it was previously 30 days) and were homeless immediately prior to entering that institution. People who are losing their primary nighttime residence, which may include a motel or hotel or a doubled-up situation, within 14 days and lack resources or support networks to remain in housing. HUD had previously allowed people who were being displaced within 7 days to be considered homeless. The regulation also describes specific documentation requirements for this category. Families with children or unaccompanied youth who are unstably housed and likely to continue in that state. This is a new category of homelessness, and it applies to families with children or unaccompanied youth (up to age 24) who have not had a lease or ownership interest in a housing unit in the last 60 or more days, have had two or more moves in the last 60 days, and who are likely to continue to be unstably housed because of disability or multiple barriers to employment. People who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening situations related to violence; have no other residence; and lack the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing. This category is

16

similar to the current practice regarding people who are fleeing domestic violence.” (http://endhomelessness.org)

Savereid stated that their housing is permanent supportive housing and rent is based on 30% of the youth income. Savereid stated that he is “not a fan of coordinated entry and referred to it as a waiting list to nowhere and the wait can be a year or two out” This leads to not being able to track down the client as they may have moved or changed their phone number. “Homelessness is a mess with HUD being so black and white” he stated. Savereid voiced frustration with the hoops homeless youth and families must go through to receive services.

Nadeau-Grandy supervises the Mobile Crisis team. Nadeau-Grandy states that they rarely see youth displaced not living with their families. The team will get calls occasionally where there is a safety issue with a domestic dispute between youth and parents. The team has heard parents state that they “have had it” and youth are not following rules such as curfew. If it is a mental health issue they will have the youth transported to the hospital. They will problem solve with the family to find a safe place to stay or call emergency social services/CPS to review for placement if no agreement can be reached.

Valley Outreach

Kris Huntley, Resource Liaison

Huntley stated that Valley Outreach has no concise data for unaccompanied youth homelessness. She was able to identify five youth between the ages of 18-22 that she knew experienced homelessness in the past year. At Valley Outreach they have no barriers to receiving services, youth would be served without documentation (some food shelves require an ID and mail from a local address). If staff know that a client is homeless they will allow weekly food to pick up instead of monthly due to not have safe food storage. If a client comes in during food shelf hours they can shop for their own food, when seeking food in off hours staff will give the client a “to go bag”. Huntley states that they would serve unaccompanied homeless youth without questions or barriers. Of the homeless population they see people are living outside, couch hopping and crossing between Minnesota and Wisconsin. They can assist with clothing and emergency funding in collaboration with other agencies.

St. Andrew’s Community Resource Center

Jenny Mason, Executive Director

Kris Mason, Case Manager

St. Andrews Community Resource Center is in Mahtomedi. The Resource Center serves adults and families seeking assistance. “Providing help and hope to our neighbors in need. We seek to transform lives through Christ’s love by equipping families and individuals with resources that lead to housing stability.” www.saintandrews.org Mason and Mason spoke of their Pastor becoming a “host home” for a 22-year-old homeless youth with no place to go. Mason and Mason relayed that they see a barrier in transportation and that they had heard there are many youth in Forest Lake seeking services. They reported not serving very few if any unaccompanied homeless youth at their site. They certainly see youth in families that are homeless.

17

Interviews with Non-Profits Serving Homeless Youth - Outside of Washington County

Lutheran Social Services (LSS)

Jennifer Fairbourne, Director of Metro Homeless Youth Services

LSS has a wide array of services for youth experiencing homelessness. Safehouse (16-20-year-olds in St. Paul), Life Haven (16-17 young moms any county), Rezek (16-21 Ramsey county only), and a Transitional Living Program (TLP) for (18-24 youth mixed funding some for Ramsey County only). LSS also provides Coordinated Entry and StreetWorks. StreetWorks is an outreach collaborative serving youth at-risk of or experiencing homelessness. Fairbourne states that there is a “lack of resources in Washington County and it’s dangerous. Youth are at risk of exploitation. It is invisible and looks different in the suburbs. Moving youth into other communities to meet their needs takes away from their personal support systems.” Fairbourne would recommend a drop-in center and shelter for Washington County.

The Link C.O.R.E.

Stephanie Plaster, C.O.R.E. Program Manager

Laura Phelps Youth Coordinated Entry Specialist

C.O.R.E. (Community Outreach Resource Empowerment) is a Dakota County Youth Drop in Center. Plaster and Phelps stated that in 2017 there were seven youth that sought services from Washington County in Dakota County through the Link. Plaster went on to state that “our youth are so transient that it is difficult to say where they are originally from. We aren’t good with prevention. Young people who are at risk of homelessness do not score high in the assessment tool for coordinated entry” (due to the criteria required to receive services). Plaster reports that in utilizing a church for a drop-in center it is important to let youth know that before hand so that they are not surprised by it. She also said that it is very important to use youth friendly language that is inclusive. They both recommend a rotating shelter space model so that youth have a place to sleep and/or host homes.

Tubman - Safe Journey and NorthStar Youth Center –

TaMica Tody, Project Administrator – Youth, Family, and Sustainability Services

Emily Truscott, Director of Communications

Ronald Ufstead, Volunteer

Dan Wachtler, Volunteer

Safe Journey is “a separate shelter program for unaccompanied youth and young adults that is separate from our domestic violence shelters. Safe Journeys is for people ages 13-24 and their children. The program opened with 10 beds in August 2015, expanded up to 20, and then as of October 1 of this year, is back at 16 beds. From August 2015 – August 2017, Safe Journeys sheltered 117 youth/young adults and their 47 children. Of those 117 youth/young adults: 45% were aged 14-17, 34% were aged 18-21, and 21% were aged 22-24. Half of those people came from Ramsey County, 24% came from Hennepin County, and the remaining 26% came from a

18

mix of Washington, Dakota, Anoka and other locations”. The following information is from the Tubman Data Coordinator.

“Total number of unaccompanied youth served in [Tubman] shelter[s] by age

Ages Maplewood Minneapolis Safe Journeys10-17 2 1 4518-24 37 17 31Total 39 18 76

Total number of unaccompanied youth served in shelter from Washington County

· Maplewood: 2· Minneapolis: 1· Safe Journeys: 7Total of 10 youth from Washington County.

Total number of unaccompanied youth served in NorthStar Youth Outreach center by age

· 10-17: 11· 18-24: 23

Total number of unaccompanied youth served in Northstar Youth Outreach center from Washington County: 4”

Shelters Outside of Washington County

180 Degrees Brittany’s Place Ramsey, St. Paul. 8 beds Ages 10-17 (SEY)

Ain Dah Yung Ramsey, St. Paul 10 beds Ages 5-17Kurt Hanson, Shelter Coordinator Hanson looked at his roster of youth and found 1 from Washington County. They receive overflow from St. Joe’s and rarely have openings. Kurt stated, “youth homelessness is invisible – it’s out there - and the struggle is real.”

Avenues for Homeless Youth Henn., Brooklyn Park 10 beds Ages 16-20

Avenues for Homeless Youth Henn., Minneapolis 20 beds Ages 16-20

Booth Brown House Ramsey, St. Paul 16 beds Ages 18-21

Bridge for Youth Henn., Minneapolis 14 beds Ages 10-17

19

The Bridge for Youth reported that they had 12 shelter stays from 10 youth from Washington County in 2017 and 3 shelter stays from 1 youth so far in 2018. (Youth may come to shelter more than one time in a calendar year- reoccurring homelessness)

Bridge for Youth (TLP) Henn., Minneapolis 10 beds Ages 16-17

Hope House Scott/Carver. Chanhassen 6 beds Ages 14-19

Hope Street Henn., Minneapolis 28 beds Ages 18-20

Safe House Ramsey, St. Paul 7 beds Ages 16-20

The Link Passage Ways Scott, Prior Lake 6 beds Ages 13-17 (SEY)

Tubman Safe Journeys Ramsey, Maplewood 16 beds Ages 13-24

Hope Place (TLP) Anoka, Coon Rapids 12 beds Ages 18-25

Prior Crossings Ramsey, St. Paul 44 studio Ages 17-22

Placement Shelters – There are shelters such as Harbor Shelter – 18 beds (Hastings), Arlington House -8 beds (St. Paul) and St. Joseph’s – 16 beds (Minneapolis) that are referred to as “placement” shelters. Only social services or law enforcement can place youth in these shelters spaces. In other words, a family seeking services, or a runaway/homeless youth could not go to them to for a shelter stay. These shelters are typically full.

Drop-In Sites for Youth

Hope 4 Youth - hot meal, food shelf, drop-in center, clothes, education referrals employment independent living skills outreach identification

Drop in Center Monday-Friday 2pm-7pm Meal served at 4:30pm; Saturday and Sunday Closed; Holiday hours vary, call to confirm. Youth ages 16-24 in Anoka County 2665 4th Ave #40, Anoka, MN 55303, Phone -763-323-2066 MoveFwd - The MoveFwd Drop-In Center, is a safe and supportive place where young people can come when there’s nowhere else to turn. Connect to resources & support with housing, employment, food, basic medical care and basic needs such as hygiene and clothes. Food, drop-in center, housing/employment assistance, Mon-Thurs 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm Youth ages 16-24 in Hennepin County 1001 MN-7 #235, Hopkins, MN 55305, Phone – 952-988-8336

NorthStar, Maplewood Mall - Resources include advocacy, safety planning, and connections to a range of additional community resources provided by Tubman and partnering agencies. Other resources that are provided include counseling; housing, career, and educational assistance;

20

food, drop in center. Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8am-12pm & 3pm-7pm, Saturdays 10am-5pm at Youth ages 13-24 Ramsey County. 3001 White Bear Ave Space 2006, Maplewood, MN 55109, Phone – 651-770-0777

NorthStar, Tubman Center East -food; as well as access to computer labs, showers, laundry, and clothing closets 3-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, with 24-hour on-site, drop-in support for people of all ages, provided by Tubman shelter staff. Youth ages 13-24 Ramsey County. 1725 Monastery Way, St Paul, MN 55109 Phone – 651-770-0777

Oasis for Youth - The Resource Center operates out of Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Bloomington. The center is open for appointments and information Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Youth Drop-In hours are Monday through Friday, 2 pm to 5 pm. Youth are met by trained and caring volunteers or a case manager. Drop-in center, host home, education referrals, employment and independent living skills and clothes closet. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Youth ages 16-24 who live, attend school, or work in Bloomington, Richfield and Edina, Hennepin County. 2200 W Old Shakopee Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55431, Phone 952-512-2061

Safe Zone drop in center– Face to Face - Help with food, clothing, or finding a place to stay. Case Managers are available every day to assist you with finding shelter, housing, jobs, and more. Open kitchen, emergency food shelf & hot meals. Free sandwiches to take. Housing help, Job searching help. Hot Meals at 1pm, 3pm Mon-Fri | Mon-Fri 1pm-8pm, Sat 1pm-5pm | Closed on holidays. Youth ages 14 – 24 Ramsey County. 130 E 7th St, St Paul, MN 55101, Phone – 651-224-9644 The Link – C.O.R.E. - Community. Outreach. Resource. Empowerment Drop-In space and resources for youth including access to showers, laundry, food, hygiene items, parenting resources and other basic needs. Mondays - Fridays 2pm-5pm or by appointment Youth 16-24 Dakota County. 7800 Co Rd 42, Apple Valley, MN 55124 Phone – 612-205-7944

YouthLink - Access showers, laundry, hygiene products and hot meals. Monday-Friday 9am-2pm (wed close at 12:30pm) for Youth 18-23 Hennepin County Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 3pm-7pm, Wednesday 4:30-6pm (dinner) Youth 16-20 Hennepin County 41 N 12th St, Minneapolis, MN 55403 Phone – 612-252-1200

YOUTH VOICE

It would be of immense value to do a survey through the school districts in Washington County, the timing of parental notification simply did not work out for this study.

Surveys were completed at educational/focus groups. These are not scientific results and methodology and sample were not random as the youth were attending to learn about homelessness. All results are anonymous and confidential.

It is important to hear what youth think about regarding youth homelessness in Washington County. Several focus groups were held with educational and resource components. When Countryman opens a difficult conversation, she want to make sure that she is offering the youth support. In doing this work she had an observer take notes so that her entire focus could be

21

reading youth body language and, in that way, steer the discussion. Youth to completed confidential anonymous surveys.

Below is an example of the observation notes taken at by a volunteer observer at one of the focus groups with all identifying information removed and the remaining content intact.

Observation Notes

Group Discussion: Adolescent Homelessness

Discussion Leader: Joan Countryman

“Introduction and Setting

Joan introduced herself to a group of 8 teenagers who routinely get together as a support group led by an adult.

Joan introduced the subject of teenage homelessness pointing out that its existence is much more widespread than the public would be inclined to acknowledge.

Joan spoke to the different forms of homelessness, sometimes referred to as the “hidden” types of homelessness.

Joan explained her background on this subject and noted that she was present to talk to them tonight as part of her on-going research on this subject. Her research is, in part, focused on the need for homeless services for youth in the Washington County area.

General Observations about the Group

From the beginning the group was welcoming and open to listening to what Joan had to say. The group consisted of two boys and six girls. (It was not clear to me as to whether one of the

girls was older and there to support the group or as a participant. This girl had heard Joan speak on the topic of homelessness in a different setting.)

The group formed a loose semi-circle around Joan, sitting, for the most part, at tables that formed the semi-circle configuration. The two boys were at opposite points of each other and did not appear to have much in common. One boy who sat at one end of the semi-circle and distinctly away from the rest of the group was dressed in all black and appeared less inclined to engage with the group.

The second boy sat at a different table and was more engaged in the discussion offering from time-to-time a constructive comment or viewpoint.

Three of the girls were verbal and offered answers to questions, suggestions and viewpoints. One girl generated a disproportionate amount of the discussion usually by asking questions, often very insightful questions. These three girls seemed reasonably engaged in the discussion in the sense that they were clearly tracking and responding.

One girl sat quietly through the entire discussion. To my (the observer) observation, I can’t recall if she ever responded to a question, but at the same time, I never got the feeling that she wasn’t tracking the conversation. It felt as if the topic was touching too close to home, or possibly just that she lacked the confidence to participate in a discussion that was not an easy topic.

Specific Comments from the Group Discussion

22

Joan asked the group, in two different questions, how they felt when they are asked to do something they don’t want to do, or to do something they consider to be wrong? There was an almost immediate response from the verbal participants with a chorus of: “weird,” “annoyed,” “angry,” “frustrated.” Both questions generated near immediate responses.

Joan explained the concept of being part of a marginalized population. “Youth” being a part of a marginalized population. When asked to provide examples the more vocal boy used “gangs” as an example and one of the girls used “race” as another example. Joan added the examples of the elderly and the LGBQT population.

The conversation shifted to more specific causes behind homelessness. Joan pointed out that on a given night approximately 6,000 youth in MN are homeless, meaning they are not residing in their own home for reasons associated with conflict or disruptive (my word) causes. When asked what might cause someone to be homeless, the kids responded offering reasons tied to alcohol, drugs, abuse, and just being kicked out. Joan affirmed these reasons and then pointed out that the number one reason for adolescent homelessness roots back to family conflict. And this family conflict is often centered on issues of family rules not being followed and LGBQT identity.

At a couple of points during this above conversation, Joan asked the group if anyone wanted to talk about any situations that they were familiar with along these lines of homelessness, being marginalized or someone being at odds with family and friends. The group generally went silent with these questions. There was some minor shifting around in their seats and eye contact was not direct as if to say, “I’ll wait to see if anyone else speaks up.” But when asked if they knew of anyone who might be in these difficult situations, there was a low-level murmuring acknowledgment from at least several of the group.

Generally, the silence to these questions was quickly broken by someone asking a question, albeit a safe question. Examples of questions asked were:

o Is homelessness and its consequences generally a permanent situation?o How do you sort out whether the kid coming into a homeless shelter is truly in crisis?o Don’t you have to notify some authority or parent when a kid comes to a homeless

shelter? Aren’t you taking on risk if you don’t notify someone right away? And what if the kid did something legally wrong?

Joan provided the group with suggestions of resources that can be used when someone is in crisis or conflict. These suggestions included outreach workers, drop-in centers, shelters, and crisis lines.

Joan asked the group where they would be likely to go if they needed to talk to someone. Almost everyone except the one quiet girl had a response to this. School counselors were mentioned. Their adult leader was mentioned. Other suggestions were made as the responses were quick and there was talking over each other on this question. Interestingly, the boy in black was quick to speak up at the suggestion of School Counselors with a definite “no way.” But just as quickly he realized that he was at odds with the more vocal group. Conclusion to the Session

Joan concluded the session by handing out a survey for the group to complete. Everyone took the survey and completed it. My somewhat distant observation is that the more

vocal participants completed it thoughtfully and rather quickly. I couldn’t read the quiet girl as

23

to how she was responding affectively to the survey. The boy in black held on to the survey and was one of the last ones to turn it in.

Joan had a drawing for a gift certificate ‘thank you’ prize. Everyone participated in the drawing. The youth who won made a point of thanking Joan at the end of the evening.

Joan thanked the group and the general feeling was one of receptiveness and politeness. I left the room thinking these are really good kids, fortunate to have this connection with each other, even if they are struggling with some life issues.”

(Notes taken by Rotary Volunteer David Waldschmidt)

Youth Survey Results

The above survey and other surveys were completed at educational/focus groups. These are not scientific results and methodology and sample were not random as the youth were attending to learn about homelessness. All results are anonymous and confidential.

101 youth surveys were completed by 42 Males, 58 females and one non-binary pan sexual youth.

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 180

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1 1

6

17

9

44

20

3

Number of Youth Surveys Complete by Age

Age of Youth

When asked the question the following questions:

1. “Have you ever been told to leave your home and stayed away for three or more days?”

9.09 % of the 101 surveyed responded that they have been told to leave their home. (9 youth responded “yes” 92 responded “no”)

24

2. “Have you ever left your home and stayed away for more than 3 days (not for vacation, camp or social reasons) for any of the following reasons: conflict with family, abuse, drugs or alcohol or other?

8.08 % of the 101 surveyed responded that they have left their home (runaway). (8 youth responded “yes” 93 responded “no”)

3. The total number of youth that have either been told to leave or have left on their own is 11 of the youth surveyed. Some youth responded yes to both questions.

11.11% of the 101-youth surveyed had either been kicked out of their home or left their home (run away).

4. When asked to fill in the blank to the question, “Where did you stay?” Answers were with friends, parents of friend, cousin, family member or left blank. Of note, none of the youth said they had utilized a youth shelter.

5. When asked “If available, would you use any of the following if needed?

Crisis Phone Line – Anonymous phone call for: resources or talking through a problem, support

32 % responded yes

Youth Text Line – Anonymous texting for: resources or talking through a problem, support

36% responded yes

Youth Drop in Center – Food, resources, washer/dryer, lockers, computer lab, support

26 % responded yes

Youth Crisis/Emergency Shelter – short term stay, bed, meals, support, resources

28 % responded yes

Youth Host Home – live in a home longer term with non-relative

11 % responded yes

Long-term Transitional Housing – live in a shelter longer term, independent living skills, support, resources

23 % responded yes

25

FUNDING

Funding for runaway and homeless youth comes from a variety of sources. Funding can be obtained through federal, state, county and city grant processes or contractual services. Funding can also be procured through foundations and individual donors giving to non-profits for general operations, services and programs for youth.

In 1974, Congress passed what would become known as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, awarding the first federal dollars to programs that help young people stay off the street. It was a landmark bill that changed the youth-service field and helped innumerable young people stay safe. Across the United States, homeless youth services are broken down into several categories to address the needs of youth. They include:

Education – Through schools and agencies youth are taught about homelessness and given local resources.

Prevention – Prior to a youth running away or being asked to leave their home, work with youth and families is done to address issues

Intervention – Youth that runaway or are kicked out of their homes can access youth service workers who provide basic needs, resources, emergency shelter

Reunification – Best practices in work with runaway and homeless youth finds that, when safe and stable, reunification with family has the best outcome.

Reconnection – When safe and stable reunification is not possible it is best practice to assist youth in some family reconnection.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the US Department of Health & Human Services. From that, Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is made up of two divisions that house three major grant programs one of which is the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. The federal funding for youth programs address the above program services categories that correlate to several programs federal grant areas. Programs include:

“Street Outreach Program (SOP)

FYSB supports work with homeless, runaway and street youth to help them find stable housing and services. SOPs focus on developing relationships between outreach workers and young people that allow them to rebuild connections with caring adults. The ultimate goal is to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of youth on the streets.Street outreach services include:

Street based education and outreach Access to emergency shelter Survival aid Treatment and counseling Crisis intervention Follow-up support

26

Basic Center Program (BCP)

Helps create and strengthen community-based programs that meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth under 18 years old. In addition, BCP tries to reunite young people with their families or locate appropriate alternative placements.BCP provides the following services:

Up to 21 days of shelter Food, clothing and medical care Individual, group and family counseling Crisis Intervention Recreation programs Aftercare services for youth after they leave the shelter

Transitional Living Program (TLP)

For Older Homeless Youth, TLP supports projects that provide long-term residential services to homeless youth. Young people must be between the ages of 16 and 22 to enter the program.Living accommodations may include:

Host-family homes

Group homes or maternity group homes

Supervised apartments owned by the program or rented in the community

TLPs offer or refer for the following services:

Safe, stable living accommodations Basic life skills building, including consumer education, budgeting, housekeeping, food

preparation and parenting skills Educational opportunities, such as GED preparation, post-secondary training and

vocational education Job attainment services, such as career counseling and job placement Mental health care, including individual and group counseling Physical health care, such as physicals, health assessments and emergency treatment

Maternity Group Homes for Pregnant and Parenting Youth (MGH)

Program supports homeless pregnant and/or parenting young people, as well as their dependent children. Youth must be between the ages of 16 and 22 to enter the program.In addition to standard TLP services, MGH programs offer an array of comprehensive services to teach:

Parenting skills

Child development

27

Family budgeting

Health and nutrition” (https://www.acf.hhs.gov FYSB website)

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) outlines plans to end homelessness by 2020, report can be found here: https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Youth_Homelessness_Coordinated_Response.pdf

MANY is an organization which you can subscribe to, to receive email notification regarding new funding opportunities. An organization can also become a member of MANY to receive the following

25% off web-based and face-to-face trainings Advanced registration for free public trainings Opportunity to pre-register for Connection Exclusive invitations to Member-Only meet-ups, such as Think Tank 2018, and Discovery

Sessions Up to 25% off consulting services Priority scheduling for proposal review services Access to select grant writing services Sub-contracts for youth services through intermediary grants awarded to MANY Access to MANY’s effective program models

When applying for federal funds members can schedule grant reviews through MANY. Federal grants are technical and complex to write as well as very competitive. It is extremely helpful to have this review prior to submission of the above grants for Basic Center, Street Outreach and Transitional Living Programs. Look at the website http://www.manynet.org for more information.

State level funding comes through Homeless Youth Act (HYA) at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). A report is generated to inform legislative committees having jurisdiction over the issue of homeless youth. A Homeless Youth Act report from 2017 can be found here: https://mn.gov/dhs/assets/2017-02-homeless-youth-act-report_tcm1053-280441.pdf

The State of Minnesota has several agencies that focus their work on a statewide level. “The Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless (MCH) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public policy and advocacy organization that works to ensure statewide housing stability and economic security. MCH is able to work with those experiencing housing instability in partnership with over 120 members across the state. These members range from those who work across the housing continuum in direct service, to state agencies in public policy.

28

The mission of the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless is to generate policies, community support and local resources for housing and services to end homelessness in Minnesota.”

(MCH website https://www.mnhomelesscoalition.org)

Interagency Council on Homelessness

“The Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness is comprised of 11 State agencies, the Met Council and the Governor’s Office and is accountable for leading the State’s efforts to achieve Housing Stability for all Minnesotans. Interagency Council on Homelessness includes:

Department of Education Department of Employment and Economic Development Department of Public Safety Department of Health Department of Human Rights Department of Human Services Office of Higher Education Department of Corrections Department of Veterans Affairs Minnesota Housing Department of Transportation Office of Governor Mark Dayton The Metropolitan Council”

(Website https://mn.gov/dhs/heading-home-minnesota/)

County and City funding will depend on where programming is located and if the county or city has set aside funding for assisting runaway and homeless youth. Several metro counties who do not have shelters or services for youth contract with non-profit agencies to allow youth from their counties access to shelter beds. This is typically set up as a daily amount paid for a youth stay, up to and not to exceed (NTE) amount agreed upon. All programming is included in this amount.

Conclusion/Recommendations

After speaking with agencies in both the governmental and non-profit arenas as well as hearing from youth, it has been concluded that getting a definitive number of homeless youth in Washington County was impossible due to the nature of the issues and limitations of this study’s scope. As stated, in Voices of Youth Count:

“In addition to showing a broad national challenge, these estimates reveal a largely hidden problem of youth homelessness. A large share of youth included were couch surfing or otherwise staying with others while lacking a home of their own. These experiences are the most invisible. Previous research shows that couch surfing generally takes place early in people’s struggles with homelessness, with sleeping more on the streets happening at later stages of homelessness. Our estimates also capture large numbers of young people that are

29

hidden to other counts and data. For example, our estimates for adolescent minors are larger than those produced by data collected by school officials because our survey included out-of-school youth, and it does not depend on the strengths or limitations of school identification systems of student homelessness. Our estimates are bigger than those from point-in-time counts largely because we capture experiences over a year, rather than on one night. Our survey approach also includes more hidden homelessness of youth who are not in the streets or shelters at the time of a point-in-time count.” (Morton, M.H., Dworsky, A., & Samuels, G.M. (2017). Missed opportunities: Youth homelessness in America. National estimates. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.)

Youth homelessness is elusive, hidden and remains underground. If there are options for services and programming for youth work in Washington County we may get a clearer picture of what is being experienced by youth who are runaway or homeless in Washington County.

Youth Work

Working with youth is difficult for the face to face, boots on the ground, youth workers all the way to the administrative responsibilities of program management. For the direct care youth worker, they need to be relational, open, non-judgmental as well as professional, mature and have exceptional personal boundaries. Youth workers on the front line are typically entry level positions. It takes a skilled staff person to be able to be open to and ready to hear youth struggles in the moment. Listening to a youth’s story of rape, sexual exploitation, abuse in their family at times of random disclosure can cause secondary trauma for youth workers. Youth workers require the support of supervisors who can coach, listen, train and support them.

There are guiding principals that are shared as best practices in the runaway and homeless field of youth work. These have been used in training Outreach Staff at StreetWorks and can be found in this manual “StreetWorks: Best Practices and Standards in Outreach Methodology to Homeless Youth Paperback – 2006 by Trudee Able-Peterson (Author), Richard A. Hooks Wayman (Author) This can be purchased on Amazon.

The Bremer “9 Evidence-Based, Guiding Principles to Help Youth Overcome Homelessness” is another work that leads runaway and homeless work. “Throughout 2013, Avenues [for youth] staff leadership worked collaboratively with five partner agencies and the Otto Bremer Foundation on a participatory “developmental evaluation” of how we work with youth. We set out to find evidence of the effectiveness of our program philosophy and principles.” http://avenuesforyouth.org/program-philosophy/

These are the principals:

“Journey Oriented: We interact with youth to help them understand the interconnectedness of their past, present, and future as they decide where they want to go and how to get there.

Trauma-Informed: We recognize that most homeless youth have experienced trauma; we build our relationships, responses, and services on that knowledge.

30

Non-Judgmental: We interact with youth without labeling or judging them on the basis of their background, experiences, choices, or behaviors.

Harm Reduction: We contain the effects of risky behavior in the short term and seek to reduce its effects in the long term.

Trusting Youth-Adult Relationships: We build relationships by interacting with youth in an honest, dependable, authentic, caring, and supportive way.

Strengths-Based: We start with, and build upon, the skills, strengths, and positive characteristics of each youth.

Positive Youth Development: We provide opportunities for youth to build a sense of competency, usefulness, belonging, and power.

Holistic: We engage youth in a manner that recognizes that mental, physical, spiritual, and social health are interconnected and interrelated.

Collaboration: We establish a principles-based, youth-focused system of support that integrates practices, procedures, and services within and across agencies, systems, and policies.” (Found on the YouthLink website http://www.youthlinkmn.org/nine-guiding-principles).

Program Service Options for Washington County

Crisis phone and text line

A crisis text and phone line specific to Washington County homeless youth would be an excellent inexpensive way to begin services in Washington County. The phone could be a cell phone with texting capacity and be answered by staff and trained volunteers. All volunteers would need extensive training and background checks. The phone(s) with the crisis number and texting capacity could be passed between staff and volunteers to be answered during specific hours and grow to a 24/7 capability. All texts and calls would need to be reviewed and monitored to assure quality.

Outreach

Washington County has some pieces in place to address the outreach needs in Washington County. Through StreetWorks a HUD sub-contract is in place for a .5 Outreach Worker (through the Bridge for Youth) and a .25 Outreach Worker (through the Link) for Washington County. This contract has been in place for close to a year and a half. There was turn over in staff and the new staff have been recently trained to provide Outreach service for youth. The two new Outreach Workers will begin

31

their work with youth in Washington County in May 2018. “StreetWorks was first awarded the HUD SMAC grant in 2015. Since then, we have applied for it – and have been awarded it- annually. Our current subcontracts with The Bridge for Youth and YouthLink are from 1.1.18-12.31.18. Barring some unseen future event, StreetWorks plans to apply for the HUD SMAC grant again in August for 2019 and will again award sub-contracts accordingly.” (Natasha Oreskovich, Senior Program Manager, StreetWorks Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota)

There are School Liaisons in the districts and the Youth Service Bureau has staff that provide education and early intervention when a youth is identified. There is no one leader or agency in the field of runaway and homeless youth in the county to provide leadership and coordinate communication and services.

Drop in Center

Washington County is a long a narrow county. A drop-in center and satellite spaces would be needed to provide a wide safety net to cover the county. This could be done inexpensively by utilizing donated spaces at churches or libraries. Volunteers could be utilized under the supervision and training of a staff person. Volunteers would require background checks. In-kind donations could be garnered to provide for basic needs. This would include food, clothing, and personal care supplies. If space were donated a washer/dryer, shower, kitchen space, lockers and computer lab would complete the space for youth to use.

Youth Shelter

A type of shelter for minor unaccompanied youth who have runaway or been kicked out of their home; with programming to provide mental health services, chemical health education, family respite and reunification would benefit youth and their families in communities in Washington County. A youth shelter is very ambitious to undertake. To staff a six-bed shelter 24/7/365 would cost approximately $600,000.00 not including a building and the building requirements for a shelter program (cameras, computers, office equipment. beds, program supplies…) A shelter program would need to be approved by the city in which it would be located.

Any youth shelter would require licensing through DHS and be run by all rules and statutes under a Children’s Residential Facility. More information on this can be found at http://www.dhs.state.mn.us A lengthy application process is in place to assure that all programming, facilities, policies and procedures are in place prior to opening for the safety and care of the youth it serves.

Youth Host Homes and Family Youth Homes

32

Arrangements can be made for youth to live with relatives or friends that will be permanent housing for them. Financial and in-kind donations can be procured to help host homes provide for the needs of the youth.

Transitional Living Shelter (TLP)

This option would be for older youth 16-24. The youth in this age range are youth with whom family reunification has not worked, youth aging out of foster care, youth without family supports. This would be less expensive to staff. It would need less comprehensive staffing, however it would still include programming for teaching independent living skills, house meetings, mental health and chemical health education. A TLP would still require DHS licensing to ensure youth needs are met safely and with compassion and empathy. The requirements for older youth are a little different for the 16 -24 age range.

Washington County has one complex for five youth who meet the criteria as HUD homeless and have mental health diagnosis. This is not a youth shelter, it is permanent supportive housing.

Reflections

Several things continually come up regarding work with the homeless population. The most difficult are transportation and location of services. Washington County being a long narrow county with limited public transportation make both challenges more difficult. To that end, it seems to make the most sense to begin with a broad network of safety for youth utilizing partnership with infrastructure already in place in Washington County. This would include law enforcement, schools, religious organizations, non-profits, local businesses and libraries.

If we pull together in this way, we can make a difference in the lives of the young people struggling with difficult challenges. By collaborating with agencies and organizations throughout the county and hiring a staff person to begin to be the point person, collaborators could organize and implement a crisis line and begin to seek drop in sites. Outreach workers could use the drop-in sites that would be geographically placed to reach out to all areas. Collaborators could relay and communicate with school liaisons and law enforcement to be ready to work with identified youth. Libraries could be used as meeting spaces. Collaborating with outreach workers, basic needs could be met, and resources offered. As we continue to better understand the needs of youth it may be advisable to create youth shelter and TLP shelter spaces.

33