Latest news with #youthhomelessness
CBS News
4 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Energy Innovation Center hosts hundreds of local leaders working to combat youth homelessness
Hundreds of people gathered inside the Energy Innovation Center Thursday morning to talk about youth homelessness. Leaders say it's a growing issue locally, and some anticipate it will increase nationally as well. The Allegheny County Executive says over 3,400 young people are experiencing homelessness in the county. It's figures like these that are part of why the homeless children's education fund hosted a policy breakfast. The morning was more than just food. "We have a lot of service providers here – we have a lot of other elected officials," County Executive Sara Innamorato said. It's a call to action, with more than 200 people. It's an important time for people like AJ Jefferson. "Right now, we're experiencing a 17% increase in youth homelessness over the previous year's numbers," said Jefferson, the CEO of the Homeless Children's Education Fund. She says the reasons for that are largely economic. People like Congresswoman Summer Lee say there are deeper issues at play, too. "I think oftentimes, when we think about youth homelessness, we think about one issue at a time and not the snowball effect, not how we got here," Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District said. She was one of Thursday morning's speakers. "At least, my message was that we have to make better policy decisions – we have to think about this holistically…" Congresswoman Lee said. Politicians like Mayor Gainey and County Executive Innamorato also wanted to help find solutions. "We have open arms and open ears on how we can embrace the young people, but also listen to them and listen to the providers to make sure that we're delivering the best services possible," Innamorato said. There was Republican representation, too. State Senator Devlin Robinson wanted to listen to concerns he could take to Harrisburg. "Nobody is gonna check anybody's registration whenever they're homeless or in need of help," Robinson, who represents Pennsylvania's 37th district in Harrisburg, said. Jefferson says nearly 47,000 K-12 students in our state have been identified as experiencing homelessness. "With the federal government changing directions and support, we need to figure out in the state, how are we gonna secure the support," Jefferson said. It's support and work that her organization focuses on daily. "We stay in their lives from PreK all the way up to adulthood and career," she said. And now, she's calling on those in this room and beyond to do more to fight the rising problem. "We need to support them – invest your time, invest your resources," Jefferson said. Jefferson says the key to bucking the trend is for the state to allocate funding from its budget towards programs that help combat youth homelessness. She says a lot of that money is drying up from Biden-era COVID relief.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Youth homelessness advocate says Budget fails most vulnerable
General vision of homelessness in Auckland central city. Photo: RNZ / Luke McPake A youth homelessness advocate says this year's Budget delivered no support for young people , calling proposed changes to benefit access "cold" and "harsh". Manaaki Rangatahi Pou Arahi (chief executive) Bianca Johanson told RNZ she was hopeful the Budget would offer targeted relief for Māori and unemployed rangatahi (young people) - but that hope quickly faded. "We knew there wasn't going to be a lot for Māori," she said. "But we were hopeful there'd be something for rangatahi, seeing that such a high rate of them are unemployed... but we didn't see any alleviation." Johanson said, "Māori were ignored in this budget." "That has been disheartening." Manaaki Rangatahi is a national youth homelessness collective dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Aotearoa. It was established in 2018 as a way of consolidating the mahi of different organisations who are also trying to tackle youth homelessness. Johanson said the sector was seeing the impact of the cost of living crisis, particularly on youth facing housing insecurity - the majority of them Māori. "For us at Manaaki Rangatahi, we see homelessness, we see a lot of the struggle. People are really hurting." Minister for Social Development Louise Upston announced in this year's Budget that from July 2027, 18 and 19-year-olds would now have their Jobseeker and emergency benefits tested against their parents' incomes. The policy is forecast to save the government about $163 million over four years, but the income levels parents would be tested against have not yet been decided by Cabinet. Johanson said the proposed changes were likely to make things harder for the already most vulnerable. "If the rangatahi is the one that has to do all that advocacy for themselves, go and get their parents' details - this is a very complex situation. "There are so many people who are the 'working poor' having to support an 18 or 19-year-old on top of all their other expenses. It could actually drive rangatahi out of home." She fears the proposed changes could create more tension within households and push some youth into harm's way - such as crime and violence. "I see a lot of these decisions as causing more harm and putting rangatahi and whānau into stressful situations which can create harm. There's no way that this is going to create any kind of unity in the whānau, or support whānau to be together." "[Māori] are the head of really terrible statistics in Aotearoa - so this Budget and many of the policies that the government have brought forward, aren't exactly addressing them." She believed kaupapa Māori principles, like manaakitanga, should be at the forefront of decisions made by the government. "If we're looking at this government and the manaaki that they've shown to Māori, and to rangatahi, it's very absent," Johanson said. "We see culture as a solution and as a tool of healing. It is what heals our rangatahi in a lot of our youth housing programmes." Johanson says "youth homelessness is not in a straight line, it's not in a little tiny box," and a more tailored approach is needed to address it. Photo: Felix Walton/RNZ Johanson said as it stood, New Zealand did not have a strategy dedicated to support those that were the most vulnerable - rangatahi impacted by homelessness. "Rangatahi are our future and we're not investing in the future," she said. "We are damning our children and our rangatahi, the most vital, important people for our future as a country to what? Living on the streets? To be without work? To have really high mental health and suicide stats? I don't understand the logic." Upston previously said the purpose of the welfare system was to support those who needed it the most. "With this announcement, we're clearly saying that 18- and 19-year-olds who don't study or work and can't support themselves financially, should be supported by their parents or guardians, not by the taxpayer." Johanson believed this response was out of touch. "It's harsh, it's cold, "she said. "Most people in Aotearoa want to give others a fair go. But we've got kaumātua and kuia working into their 70s and 80s to survive. We've got rangatahi who've been born into homelessness, who don't know what it's like to have their own bedroom - and now we expect their parents to provide support too?" Louise Upston Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone In response, Upston said the government was "taking steps to make sure work, training or study is the focus for all young people". "This government recognises that the welfare system should be available for those who most need it. However, we aren't willing to watch any young New Zealanders get stuck on the benefit," she said. "Recent forecasts show that people under the age of 25 on Jobseeker Support will spend an average of 18 or more years on a benefit over their lifetimes - 49 percent longer than in 2017. That's why I prioritised Welfare that Works in Budget 2025." Upston said the "Welfare that Works" package included secure funding for two years of Community Coaches and bonus payments - "giving Jobseekers under 25 years more coaching, an assessment of their needs, an individual plan and holding them accountable for achieving that plan." In terms of the specific policy settings for the 18-19-year-old initiative, final decisions on the parental assistance test will be made later this year, including settings for access to hardship and supplementary assistance. "The design of the test is likely to take into account a range of considerations including (but not limited to) parents' income level, nature of relationship with the 18- or 19-year-old and circumstances such as whether the parent or guardian are in hospital or in prison." Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka said the government was investing in rangatahi Māori through education and housing initiatives. "The government is investing in rangatahi Māori through the overall increase in education funding as well as the extra investment in Māori education specifically, which includes additional funding for kura, te reo Māori proficiency and training for kaiako [teachers]. "Our aspirations are the same as those shared by many parents across the motu: we want to see all rangatahi make the most of their talents. That's why we're saying 18 and 19-year-olds who aren't working or studying should be supported by their parents or guardians, not the taxpayer." He said it was "wrong" to say the government did not care about housing for vulnerable young people. "Our housing policy has lifted hundreds of Māori whānau and tamariki out of dire emergency housing and into better homes. That can mean a world of difference for young people in terms of better health, regular school attendance or maintaining employment." Johanson was calling for the government to engage with those directly affected. "We always ask the government to come talk to us before they make some of these quite strange sanctions and expectations on whānau," she said. "We are the sector experts. Rangatahi are the experts. Come and talk to us." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Charity trek to support vulnerable young people
A 72-year-old YMCA Norfolk ambassador is set to embark on a 104-mile charity walk. Andrew Hadley will take on the Norfolk Coastal Path in June to raise money for young people experiencing homelessness. He will start on Saturday, June 1 at YMCA Community Housing in King's Lynn and finish in Hunstanton on Wednesday, June 11. Mr Hadley has already raised £20,000 and hopes to reach £25,000 by the end of his trek. He said: "This isn't just a walk. "It's a way to make a difference — to give young people in Norfolk the chance to build a better future. "YMCA Norfolk changes lives, and I want to do my bit to support their work." The 10-day trek will take Andrew through some of Norfolk's most scenic locations, as he highlights the urgent need to support vulnerable young people and raise awareness around youth homelessness. YMCA Norfolk provides housing, support, training, and wellbeing services to young people across the county. Donations can be made at
CBS News
22-05-2025
- CBS News
Restorative Pathways opens Phoenix Rising Youth Home in Oakland for homeless youth
It's a new chapter for Restorative Pathways. They just opened Phoenix Rising Youth Home in Oakland to provide shelter for unhoused youth. "It is two floors, right now you are seeing our top floor, which is meant for girls who are coming in through the city of Oakland. They are either experiencing homelessness, exploitation, substance use disorder, and the list goes on and on," Sophora Acheson, the CEO of Restorative Pathways, told CBS News Bay Area. There are 12 total beds at the youth home, but currently, six beds are being refurbished and are not yet ready. The other six beds, however, are readily available for unhoused youth in need. The organization is currently raising funds of about $250,000 to complete the remaining rooms downstairs. Meanwhile, the rooms upstairs as well as the common areas are open. "It was really important to us to pick the décor because we wanted it to feel like home. We wanted it to be bright, we wanted it to be airy," Acheson said. Restorative Pathways provides housing and resources for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. Phoenix Rising Youth Home will provide housing for those between the ages of 12 and 18. "Our partner, West Coast Children's Clinic, have done quite a bit of research. And they are showing one in seven youth that walk through their doors is showing signs of exploitation. The trauma numbers are even higher. And as you know in Alameda County, homelessness is an epidemic here," she said. Oakland is in the top three cities nationwide for victims of child exploitation. Acheson said their partnerships with local law enforcement, county and school district leaders is critical in taking unhoused youth off the streets and providing them with shelter. Restorative Pathways has two other shelters in Hayward. As for this youth home in Oakland, there will be 24/7 staffing at the home with case managers, therapists, peer advocates and a shelter manager. Acheson added that there is no maximum length of stay and will be there to provide for the youth as long as they need. Lt. Marcos Campos of Oakland Police said his department, the child exploitation investigative unit, works on an average of 1,500 cases a year. "They average about 16 to 20 juveniles that are located on International Boulevard corridor. And those are the youth that we often refer to, previously known as Dream Catchers and now Phoenix Rising. And we hope to continue that partnership moving forward," Campos said. He added that without enough youth shelters in Oakland, his officers would often need to bring at-risk youth to San Francisco or further in the East Bay. But with this new youth home, just a couple blocks away from the Oakland Police Station, it's right at home. And staff like Justin Luke Riley, who once lived in a homeless shelter, will make sure that those who walk through those doors will be protected. "Roughly 18 years ago, I was in a homeless shelter. And was fortunate enough to receive services for substance use disorder, mental health," Luke Riley told CBS News Bay Area. "Restorative Pathways offers young individuals like me, when I was 19 years young, looking for a safe place, a healthy place and a place that was rich, full of resources." As for Acheson, her goal is to help the unhoused youth heal and build that trust to connect them with more permanent housing. "We are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We will answer the door, we will bring you in, we will get you a bed to sleep in and help is there," Acheson said.
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE OVER GOLDFIELDS THIS WEEK
19 May 2025 More than 30 students from all six secondary schools in Western Australia's Goldfields region will take centre stage this week as part of the ABC's Takeover Goldfields Youth Summit, running from 19–23 May. The summit is a collaboration between the ABC, the Australian Government's Office for Youth and the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR). Since February, ABC producers have been working with local students to help bring their stories to life. Now a group of young storytellers has been selected to share their powerful ideas and lived experience on ABC platforms throughout the week and beyond. Stories will appear on the ABC's radio, TV and digital platforms. Ranging from life in a fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) family to equine therapy and snake handling, these stories reflect the diversity, resilience and creativity of the region's youth. For Kyndra, one of the winners, sharing her story has been an exciting and rewarding experience. Kyndra has grown up with housing instability and wants to raise awareness of youth homelessness. 'There's not many opportunities [for young people] to speak out,' she says. 'I think it's important for people to actually hear what's going on for the new generation.' Winners will be celebrated at a red-carpet screening at the Goldfields Arts Centre and appear in on-air interviews across ABC programs. ABC Director, News Justin Stevens said the Goldfields Takeover offers a rare insight into life for young people in the region. 'Their stories and ideas for community change deserve to be heard and celebrated,' he said. Beyond the screening, the summit provides students with the chance to connect with community leaders, youth networks, politicians and media professionals. They'll also take part in workshops and leadership events aimed at helping young people turn their ideas into real community impact. To help bring some of these ideas to life FRRR will offer support to community organisations interested in partnering with students on grant-funded local projects. Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, said that the long-standing partnership with ABC is an important part of the Foundation's commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders in remote, rural and regional communities. 'We are excited to be part of bringing the very first Takeover program to Western Australia,' she said. 'We know the ideas developed by these young people will make their communities stronger, more vibrant and sustainable.' Catch the winning stories and follow the week's events at: If you are interested in attending summit events, please email: takeover@ For more information please contact: Alexandra Neill ABC Senior Producer Mob: 0431 815 664
