Opinion: Pandemic makes addressing youth homelessness more difficult
You may not see them, but they’re there. Young people who are homeless are usually invisible.
Identifying and addressing youth homelessness takes a trained and thoughtful eye. Advocates, including Lighthouse, see a troubling trend aggravated by the pandemic: an avalanche of need for youth homelessness services.
The pandemic has made addressing youth homelessness more challenging but not impossible. More than a year into the arrival of COVID-19, we have a better understanding of the pandemic's impact on the children and families we serve. Now is the time to act.
We must continue to look for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
There are three main reasons young people experiencing homelessness are tough to find right now. The historic hangouts where homeless youth tend to congregate are currently largely vacant due to social distancing or closed. Teens that may be "couch surfing" (moving from relative to relative, friend to friend) remain hidden from view, and referrals from schools have dropped significantly. Teachers are often the first line of assessment for a child's wellbeing, and the extended closure of schools deprived us of at least that partially open window into students’ lives.
Overall, approximately 30% of people experiencing homelessness are younger than age 24. According to Lighthouse's analysis, about 600 young adults ages 18 to 24 access homeless shelters in Hamilton County each year.
Mental health and youth homelessness are often connected.
The pandemic has had a profound impact on the mental health of young people. The disruption of routine, social isolation, health fears, and families under duress – all are factors that can lead to mental health challenges, especially during an already vulnerable time of life. Some young people may feel compelled to separate from their family or attempt to make sense of these new challenges on their own.
Even in the short term, the trauma of homelessness can significantly affect a youth's future development. Children who experience homelessness have substantially higher emotional, behavioral and immediate and long-term health problems.
Prevention is key.
We know how to help. Lighthouse has four decades of experience serving homeless young people, and we've seen how marshaling our resources around preventive efforts, assisting the youth before they descend into homelessness, is critical. We know, for example, providing rental and energy assistance or help with groceries and transportation can help stabilize a situation.
Beyond these core needs, young people, in particular, need stable connections and relationships. A three-year grant Lighthouse received from the United Health Foundation in 2019 is helping support a $2.4 million initiative designed to bolster our team of Clinical Assessors. They are licensed social workers in the community, connecting with at-risk youth, assessing their vulnerability, helping them access the services they need. This can include after-care services that extend well beyond initial contacts.
Perhaps most importantly, our teams forge relationships of trust with youth who may not have anyone else they can turn to in their lives. We anticipate the expanded clinical services supported by the grant will enable Lighthouse to reach as many as 5,000 young people in Cincinnati. The more young people who receive the services they need, the stronger our community becomes.
The Lighthouse team is constantly learning and seeking to understand better the challenges young people face and how to help them thrive. While there are still many unknowns related to the pandemic, I am confident together, we can end youth homelessness in Greater Cincinnati – as long as we keep our eyes open.
Jodi Harding is vice president and chief operating officer of Lighthouse Youth & Family Services. Harding has worked in the child welfare and behavioral health fields in Hamilton County since 1997 when she started her career at Hamilton County Job and Family Services as a Children’s Services caseworker.
