Tag: Young Adults

HYPE Helps Homeless Teen

While some of us might shudder to think about our awkward teen years, most of us look back on our school years with fondness. But likely not many of us experienced high school as a homeless teen. We probably never had to think about doing homework, trying out for teams or just hanging out with friends without knowing where we’d find our next meal, how we’d wash clothes or where we’d sleep at night.

And while being a homeless teen may be hard for many of us to imagine, that was John’s situation before he found Northwest Compass. In fact, John told his guidance counselor, Jen, that he felt like a ghost, like he was invisible. But the staff at Northwest Compass saw John, and they helped.

At Northwest Compass, we’re committed to ending the cycle of homelessness, for John and teens and young adults like him. To this end, we introduced Helping Youth on the Path to Empowerment (HYPE) in 2016. HYPE adopts new methods to deliver existing services through better alignment of housing resources, education, training and employment services. In addition, the program offers an array of supportive services to foster personal and economic stability, health and safety.

Jen recently wrote to let us know that John is doing well and that finding Northwest Compass HYPE played a big part in that. Watch Jen’s story to learn more about John’s journey from homeless teen to walking tall on campus.

CompassPoints_JenS.m4v from Mary Ellen Ottenstein on Vimeo.

Beyond the program mandates, HYPE offers the care and compassion of its professional staff and volunteers. As Jen wrote, HYPE went beyond providing Housing Counseling and Career Coaching and built confidence. Jen was moved by the donation of a designer jacket, and that our Managing Director of Program Delivery, Sonia Ivanov, connected John to a job at the YMCA. She could hardly believe, that from among so many clients, Sonia remembered how much John loves basketball.

Learn more about how Northwest Compass helps teens and young adults, and other programs we offer, by visiting How We Help. If you would like to help support neighbors turning crisis into opportunity, visit Get Involved to find a volunteer opportunity that’s just right for you.

Invisible Young Adults: No Place To Call Home

Let’s talk about young adults, 18-25, in our community with no place to call home. They risk living on the streets to escape abusive homes, or they’ve no relatives to turn to. Imagine being eighteen, out of school, no home, no employable skills, no money for college and sleeping on a dark street under a dumpster, in a beat up old car, or in the furnace room of a school’s basement.

Do you recall turning eighteen and uncovering a sense of freedom? Were your parents able to teach you the skills needed to live on your own or assist you financially? One major reason for youth homelessness is parental conflict ending in the parent demanding they move out. Other causes include running away from alternate care situations or finding themselves unable to afford rent, bills and groceries.

This vulnerable population can fall through the cracks. Many struggle in hidden homelessness situations, such as rough sleeping (on the streets) or squatting (sleeping in abandoned buildings). Some go to desperate measures to avoid the dangers of sleeping rough, including committing a crime or resorting to sex work to get a roof over their heads.

Homeless youth need support and a good role model. While the schools and other support systems in our Northwest Suburbs are doing everything they can to get our homeless youth in school and keep them there, earlier intervention is essential to prevent them from developing higher needs and falling into long term homelessness. Local schools and agencies are attempting to address the gaps in education, social support networks, barriers to employment, and affordable housing.

Mature families may require temporary assistance as a result of job loss or other isolated events and rebound quickly. Statistics show undeveloped families with parents under twenty-five are far more likely to return to emergency shelters since they lack the job or life skills to move forward on their own. This at-risk population needs education about what it is to be a successful adult, hopefully before they have babies of their own. If America is going to get serious about ending the cycle of homelessness, focusing on our youth is a great starting point.

Locally, Northwest Compass is committed to ending the cycle of youth homelessness and has created a new program called HYPE (Helping Youth on the Path to Empowerment) a new coordinated system adopting new methods of providing existing services through better alignment of housing resources, education, training and employment services, as well as an array of supportive services.