[RELEASE] Advocates call on City Council to commit to a plan for ending youth homelessness and bolstering emergency services
PHILADELPHIA—Today, youth experiencing homelessness and a broad range of advocates called on City Council to commit to a long-term plan to end youth homelessness in Philadelphia. Noting major gaps in support for youth, testifiers also called for an expansion of emergency services. The hearing, which provided the first public platform specifically focused on addressing the growing problem of youth homelessness in Philadelphia, was led by Councilmembers Helen Gym (Chair of Children and Youth) and Allan Domb (Chair of Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless).
“Since 2009, we have seen an alarming increase of over 70% in the number of youth experiencing homelessness in our city. Philadelphia has only one emergency shelter and only a handful of transitional housing programs for youth. These young people face enormous challenges and for too long they have been overlooked by policy makers. It’s time for us to bring them to the table and seek solutions,” said Councilwoman Gym.
“In a city of 1.5 million people, it is unacceptable that there are only 74 emergency beds for youth experiencing homelessness. We must continue to address this issue to prevent our children from being homeless,” said Councilman Domb.
“For years, I have fought for the thousands of Philadelphians who experience homelessness. We can and must do better as a community to understand their needs and meet the challenge of ending homelessness head-on,” said Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (Dist. 3), Chair of the Committee on Education.
“Given appropriate support, we could, within a relatively short time, implement a comprehensive, collaborative strategy of homeless outreach, intervention, housing and services to interrupt and address youth homelessness,” said Liz Hersh, Director of the Office of Supporting Housing of the City of Philadelphia.
“Youth and families that experience homelessness need comprehensive social services to improve their physical well-being, emotional security, and economic stability. To solve our ongoing housing crisis, Philadelphia needs a forward-looking plan that addresses the root causes of homelessness at all age levels,” said Kathy Desmond, President of the People’s Emergency Center.
“Of youth who experience homelessness, approximately 40% identify as LGBTQ. LGBTQ young people face unique challenges that are more likely to disrupt their lives versus their heterosexual and cisgender peers, including family rejection, discrimination and harassment in school, employment, and housing settings and increased levels of violence within the community. It takes multiple system failures for our youth to end up on the streets and our human services systems must work to understand these youth and craft policies that meet their needs that are safe, affordable and affirming,” said Kate Gormley, LSW, Case Management Supervisor at the Mazzoni Center.
“It’s time for systems to come together to create actionable solutions to the unacceptable problem of youth homelessness. Many of the young people who end up homeless in Philadelphia have some experience in the child welfare system and as a city we must do better to meet their needs. This can be a new beginning,” said Gwendolyn Bailey, LSW, Executive Director of Youth Services, Inc.
“For years we have fought to help Philadelphians of all ages break the cycle of homelessness and poverty and to alleviate the underlying causes of poverty. To win this fight, we need to pay special attention to the unique needs of youth experiencing homelessness and work to stabilize, educate, employ, and empower our young adults,” said Carolyn Crouch-Robinson, Director of Residential Services, Project HOME.
“With the support of City Council, we are committed to getting kids off the streets and giving them the opportunity to transform their lives from homelessness to hope,” said John Ducoff, Executive Director of Covenant House Pennsylvania.
