1. Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness in Polk County
Welcome!
Community Plan to End Youth Homelessness in Polk County

2. Meeting Objectives
Lay the groundwork for creating a plan to end youth homelessness in Polk County
Review (briefly) current community strengths and challenges in addressing youth homelessness
Identify what needs to be included in the plan and how to structure the work

3. How do you (or how does your organization) describe and quantify youth homelessness?

4. How many? Homeless Point in Time Count: (2016)
39 Unaccompanied youth (all over age 18 except 1)
22 Parenting youth (under age 24)
27 children with young adult (under age 24) parent
Education: ( school-year)
295 high school aged students in Polk County identified as unaccompanied homeless
1,497 homeless high school aged youth in families
System-Involved: (National Youth in Transition Database-Iowa data)
25% of former foster youth report having been homeless between ages 17 and 19

5. Guiding Principles Youth Lens Think Creatively Think Strategically
Listen respectfully, disagree constructively
“Change at the community level requires us to rethink current systems and program delivery”

6. What does the system look like now?
Strengths
Challenges, barriers and gaps

7. What issues have to be addressed in our plan for us to End Youth Homelessness?
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8. Approach to the Planning Process
and Next Steps

9. Proposed meeting schedule
Monday, July 24 Monday, September 25 Monday, December 4

10. Contacts Toby O’Berry, Iowa Homeless Youth Centers TOBerry@yss.org
Mark Phillips, Polk County Continuum of Care Board
Andrea Dencklau, Youth Policy Institute of Iowa