We are excited to announce to that this fall we will be partnering with the Home of the Innocents to prevent and end youth homelessness. Through funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP), we will house 24 young people that are experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied and pregnant or parenting youth.
In addition to housing, the youth will also receive case management with a goal of transitioning to permanent housing.
Along with ten other communities across the country, Louisville was awarded the HUD YDHP grant in July 2018. The Coalition for the Homeless put together a group called the Homeless Youth Committee and asked them to develop a plan for ending homelessness among youth and young adults in Louisville and consulted with a representative group of youth known as the Youth Action Board.
St. Vincent de Paul Louisville and the Home of the Innocents submitted a joint proposal to provide services and housing. Our partnership, along with five other agencies, was awarded the funds and will be participating in this coordinated community effort.
This effort will go a long way to address the problem of youth homelessness, but there’s still work to do, and more resources are needed.
What You Can Do to Help
In a few weeks, St. Vincent de Paul Louisville will be launching our “Help Make It A Home” program to address some basic needs our clients have once they are housed with us. The program will benefit Roberts Hall, the SRO, and other campus housing programs, including the new YHDP program.
We’ll post a gift registry with links to linens and pillows, pack ’n plays, baby wipes, trash cans—all the things someone needs when setting up a home.
Your support of this program will help us provide a warm and welcoming environment for the new faces and help to prepare them for the next stage of their life.
More information about the program and details about how you can help will be available in the coming weeks.
Steve Woeste says
I am wondering how the Youth Homeless Demonstration Program turned out over the past year? I think it is a great program that will help a lot of people. I have not seen anything about it.
Steve Woeste
David Sharpe says
The program has been a great success. We’ve had about 25 participants move on to their own apartments in spite of the challenges of finding apartments in the middle of a pandemic. In case you missed it, here’s a story from August about the program.