National Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month

November is National Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month- a public awareness campaign designed to “shine a light” on the experiences of youth who have run away from home or are experiencing homelessness. Tahoe Youth & Family Services (TYFS) is proud to spearhead this campaign and offer resources to support vulnerable youth and their families in our community. National studies indicate that more than 4.2 million young people between the ages of 13 and 25 experience some form of homelessness in the United States each year. Youth homelessness is unique as it does not always fit what most people think of when it comes to homelessness, such as physically sleeping on the streets. In fact, most homeless youth in our community remain invisible to others because they are often couch surfing or bouncing among relatives and friends because they are experts at hiding their homelessness for fear of being reported, which generally goes unnoticed by many in the community.

Most youth who run away choose to do so as a last resort to escape threatening environments at home, such as physical/verbal abuse, substance abuse issues, questions of sexual orientation, or escaping state care. In 2019, 58% of those who called the National Runaway Safeline indicated family dynamics as the top reason for reaching out for support. Youth often face devastating consequences of homelessness, including mental health problems, substance use, victimization, criminal activity, human trafficking, and barriers to education and employment. These problems further weigh on society with the cost of finding ways to take care of these young people and the longer youth have to survive without stable housing, the more likely they are to experience chronic, life-long homelessness.

The lack of a safe, stable living environment to call home undermines young people’s chances at a critical turning point in their lives. TYFS has been working diligently to successfully transition youth experiencing homelessness into adulthood. TYFS promotes self-sufficient living and the prevention of long-term dependency on social services by utilizing social and emotional well-being and a strengths-based approach. In the past year alone, TYFS has provided shelter and housing assistance to 22 runaway and homeless youth and young adults in our community.

TYFS Supportive Service Programs provides a variety of specialized programs for runaway and homeless youth between the ages of 16-24. One service is our Transitional Living Program, which provides long-term housing for 12-18 months, including intensive case management and counseling services. Another is our homeless prevention and diversion Rapid Re-Housing program, which offers short-term rental assistance to those who need extra support paying their rent to avoid homelessness. In addition, TYFS operates a Drop-In Center that is a point of entry to provide information, resources, and opportunities to all youth who are runaways, homeless, couch surfing, living in poverty, or who may be at risk of becoming homeless and are seeking to find stability, improve their overall wellness, and quality of life. Our Supportive Services staff can assist youth with the following services: food, clothing, socks, hygiene supplies, laundry services, showers, and case deliberate management to provide motivation to move beyond the street with guidance and compassion. TYFS also provides mediation and counseling to keep youth in their homes or to reunify them with their families after they’ve left, if appropriate. For more information on our Supportive Service Programs or how you can help runaway and homeless youth in our community, please contact Shelby Musante at (530) 541-2445 ext1010 or smusante@tahoeyouth.org.

Let homeless youth in our community know that they are not alone by pledging to “light the night”, by displaying a green light at your business or residence through the night on November 17th.