San Francisco's LGBT center is finding homeless youth a home for the holidays. It's run by a "Host Home" program financed by federal Housing and Urban Development funds.
The nationally-recognized program aims to find volunteers to house homeless LGBT youth ages 18 to 24 for a period of three months to one year.
According to the San Francisco 2019 Youth Homeless Count and Survey, 46 percent of youth experiencing homelessness in the city identify as LGBT. That's slightly higher than national statistics reporting 20 to 40 percent of homeless youth identifying as LGBT, according to civil rights research organization Lambda Legal.
"As you know it's been incredibly difficult to find hosts during this time," said Karessa Irvin, program manager for San Francisco's LGBT center. According to Irvin, the center helps pair youth with families who can provide extra space in their home.
Host homes are currently being used in numerous cities across the United States, including: Minneapolis, Baltimore, Louisville, Venice Beach, Los Angeles, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Cincinnati, Rochester, Seattle, and others. Each community uniquely implemented the host home program to fit the needs of their youth. The SF LGBT Center will do the same.
Learn more about "Host Home":
No comments:
Post a Comment