ATLANTA — A first-of-its-kind program to help homeless youth is making a difference in Atlanta.
Two national nonprofits, Youth Empowerment Success Services, Point Source Youth, and Johns Hopkins University, created the Targeted Housing Assistance Program.
It provides a one-time cash payment and targeted support services to young people facing an imminent housing crisis.
A review found that 81% of the 45 young people in Atlanta who received help were still housed after 30 days.
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Many of those targeted for assistance are teens who are aging out of the foster care system.
“Homelessness prevention is possible. It requires creativity, partnership, and most importantly, trust between the providers and the people they serve,” said Ebony Harris, CEO of Youth Empowerment Success Services. “By directing resources to young people when they need it, especially during the formidable period of transitioning out of foster care, we can prevent the trauma of homelessness before it happens. We look forward to partnering with Point Source Youth on future initiatives.”
In Atlanta, an average of $3,551 was distributed to each household to support their housing action plan.
Many of those who received the payouts were supporting entire households and the money helped them pay rent for the next couple of months.
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