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What is our target population?
1) “Home push out”
young adults, abandoned by their families at age 18 or younger. This
phenomenon recently received national attention and is reflective of
Nebraska “safe haven” laws where parents have been permitted to abandon
their children up to age 18 without fear of prosecution.
SFGate - As In Nebraska, kids abandoned daily in S.F.
2) Young people with absent parents due to mental illness, drug/alcohol, emotional, sexual and physical abuse and/or incarceration.
3) GLBTQ young adults and others who have exhausted all communication options with their parents and have been kicked out.
4) Transitional age youth who do not fit into the mental health, juvenile service or foster care funding streams and
are not drug or alcohol addicted.
What is the breakdown of this population?
Demographics
• Almost all of our young adults (99%) live in poverty
• 77% are unemployed or struggling to stay employed, due to lack of stable
housing and support of an adult ally
• 12% are immigrants and 5% are monolingual Spanish speakers
Racial Diversity
• 51% Caucasian
• 21% African-American
• 18% Latino
• 10% other ethnic and racial categories (About 55% are male)
What it is like to be a young adult and homeless in Marin?
Can you imagine yourself waking up daily….
• not knowing where you will be living
• feeling anxious, depressed, angry and hopeless on a daily basis
• with no medical or dental care
• feeling alone and lost
• mistrusting the systems and adults who haven't been there for you
• with the stress of carrying all your personal items from one place to another
• with no financial reserves for emergencies
• overwhelmed by lack of skills and resources to earn a living wage
This is the reality of life for our young adults who are homeless!
Statistics on youth 2 to 4 years after leaving the system….
• 35% are homeless
• 40% are on public assistance
• 50% are unemployed
• 25% of the males are incarcerated
• 50% plus girls have given birth
Why are so many of our young adults homeless today?
- not prepared to live independently
- no “safety net” - family to rely on
- no guidance to obtain, navigate finding safe, stable housing
- no money management, actual banking-checkbook experience
- no experience /guidance in navigating leases, security deposits
- no financial reserves for unexpected circumstances