1. 9 Evidence-Based Principles to Help Youth Overcome Homelessness
Katherine Meerse, Executive Director

2. AVENUES FOR HOMELESS YOUTH
Mission
Avenues partners with youth experiencing homelessness to achieve their dreams.
Overview:
Started December 1994 to address lack of youth-specific shelter and services.
Support over 300 youth annually through congregate housing, host homes and scattered site housing.
Stand up if you are:
Homeless service provider working mostly with families
Homeless service provider working mostly with single adults
Homeless service provider working mostly with youth
A provider working mostly in the field of domestic violence
Work for local government or housing authority
Work for state government
Who did I miss?

3. YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN MINNESOTA
On any given night, 6,000 youth in Minnesota are homeless and on their own
73% are youth of color
Estimated 25-30% are LGBTQ
This includes an estimated 2,500 minors age 17 and under and 3,500 young adults age 18 through 24.
Of all age groups, children and youth age 24 and younger are the most likely to be homeless in Minnesota.
Source: Wilder Research. Homelessness in Minnesota; Findings from the 2015 Statewide Study. November 2016.

4. YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN MINNESOTA
Shelter and short-term housing for only 13% of homeless youth
The other 87% must fend for themselves
Source: Wilder Research. Homelessness in Minnesota; Findings from the 2015 Statewide Study. November 2016.

5. Twin Cities Metro Area 7-county region 3.6 million people
Approximately 62% of homeless youth in MN
14 youth-serving providers
Note continuum of services – drop in centers, street outreach, shelters, transitional housing programs, non-time limited supportive housing.
More providers than typical for a region this size.

6. MINNEAPOLIS AVENUES Seven Programs Minneapolis Avenues
Shelter and transitional housing
21 beds (20 program beds, 1 emergency shelter bed)
Ages 16 to 21
Seven Programs
Minneapolis Avenues
Brooklyn Avenues
GLBT Host Home
Minneapolis Host Home
Suburban (Hennepin) Host Home
ConneQT
Avenues for Young Families

7. BROOKLYN AVENUES Seven Programs Minneapolis Avenues Brooklyn Avenues
Shelter and transitional housing opened February 2015
Partnership with the City of Brooklyn Park
12 beds (11 program beds, 1 emergency shelter bed)
Youth from the northwest suburbs
16-21 years old
Seven Programs
Minneapolis Avenues
Brooklyn Avenues
GLBT Host Home
Minneapolis Host Home
Suburban (Hennepin) Host Home
ConneQT
Avenues for Young Families

8. HOST HOME PROGRAMS Community-based housing and support
Screen and train volunteers to share their home and resources
Youth-driven matching process
Case management support for youth
Program support for hosts
2 LGBTQ-specific programs
Pilot program for BIPOC hosts
Seven Programs
Minneapolis Avenues
Brooklyn Avenues
GLBT Host Home
Minneapolis Host Home
Suburban (Hennepin) Host Home
ConneQT
Avenues for Young Families

9. AVENUES FOR YOUNG FAMILIES
35% of homeless youth in MN are parents; 1/4 are with their children
12 units of scattered-site “rapid re-housing” in the community
Young parents (18-24 years old) with their children
Rent assistance, holistic support services for parents and children 9

10. 9 EVIDENCE-BASED, GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Journey-oriented
Trauma-informed
Non-judgmental
Harm reduction
Trusting relationships
Strengths-based
Positive youth development
Holistic
Youth-centered, collaborative
6 organizations, including Avenues, collaborated with researchers Michael Patton and Nora Murphy from the University of Minnesota, to identify these guiding principles. There is a 70-page article you can Google.
I want to talk today about these principles in two different ways – at the organization level and at the system level. We’ll start with the organizational level.
Fundamentally transformed how we at Avenues and many of the other youth-serving providers in the Twin Cities work with young people AT THE ORGANIZATION LEVEL. Ex. At Avenues fewer rules, no more “three strikes and you’re out.”
Principles in practice at the ORGANIZATIONAL level:
1. Journey-oriented – Recognizing that young people are on a developmental journey. Homelessness is impacting that journey. We have to have some knowledge and expertise around youth development and adolescent brain development.
2. Trauma informed – weekly case consultation with the health and wellness team; working on our OWN trauma through monthly Real Talk sessions
3. Harm reduction – coming home drunk or high does not get you exited.
4. Holistic supports – next slide
9 Evidence-Based, Guiding Principles to Help Youth Overcome Homelessness, Homeless Youth Collaborative on Developmental Evaluation, February 2014

11. HOLISTIC SUPPORTS
Case management – support personal goal planning, guide and advocate
Nursing consultation
Mental health therapy
Family counseling
Life skills training
Education and career support
Empowerment and engagement activities
After-care support

12. How would your practice change?
Discussion
What would it look like to adopt the 9 Principles in your organization?
How would your practice change?
Groups of 3-4; discuss for 10 minutes.

13. 9 EVIDENCE-BASED, GUIDING PRINCIPLES
System-level considerations
Continuum of services
YSNMN.org
Youth coordinated entry system versus serving youth through adult and family systems
Continuum of services – Unlikely that one org can do it all
Collaboration is key
YSNMN.org – collaboration, youth-driven
Ramsey County and several of the suburban counties have separate youth coordinated-entry systems. Hennepin County does not.
Benefits of a separate youth system:
The system is smaller and there are fewer people on the priority list.
Priority list manager can work closely with the youth and with the providers. Youth aren’t just sitting on a list. List manager can really get to know them, work with the young person and their case manager to really find appropriate housing.
CES staff can do more training for providers
Youth voice is much better included.
We continue to advocate for a separate youth CES in Hennepin County. Even better would be a metro-wide CES. That would take collaboration at a whole new level, among all the counties.
Youth are still struggling, even in Ramsey County. There’s just not enough capacity.
Aim high and build on a strong foundation of 9 guiding principles.
9 Evidence-Based, Guiding Principles to Help Youth Overcome Homelessness, Homeless Youth Collaborative on Developmental Evaluation, February 2014,

14. kmeerse@avenuesforyouth.org 612-844-2002
Thank you!