Safe Place for Youth
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 2020 Homeless Count, there are approximately 4,673 unhoused youth on the streets of LA County on any given night.
Young people find themselves homeless or at-risk of homelessness through no fault of their own, and they are among the marginalized and under-served youth in our community. The youth that we serve at Safe Place for Youth are diverse, yet they share many common pathways into homelessness. When asked how they became homeless, 75% had experienced family-based instability, violence, and conflict, and 36% reported previous involvement in the foster care system.
Youth experiencing homelessness deal with a complex set of issues related to disconnection from family and community, abuse and neglect, significant past trauma, grief and loss, mental illness, and criminalization. This typically translates into few prospects for education, employment or social participation and can manifest into psychological distress and trauma.
As one of the fastest growing homeless populations, transitional-aged youth require unique housing and support services that are responsive to their developmental needs as young adults as they learn to care for themselves, gain life experience, and transition to adulthood.
To inspire change in a young person’s life, we at Safe Place for Youth engage, build trust, and provide care and support to youth experiencing homelessness, so that the youth, not their situations, define their lives. Our robust continuum of care addresses the unique needs of this population through assertive street outreach, low barrier drop-in services, health and wellness programming, case management, and education and employment services. The goal of our program is to provide critical resources and empower young people to take control of their lives, supported by trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and positive youth development strategies in a safe, non-judgmental environment.