2018 Youth Count Findings Released!
In the spring of 2018, Youth REACH MD conducted its third Youth Count across 20 counties in Maryland. The results are in! Almost 3,000 youth were identified as on their own and struggling with housing in Maryland in the last year. You can read more about these findings in our 2018 report.
A special thank you to each of the youth who were willing to share their stories with us, and to the many youth ambassadors, volunteers, and staff who helped make this Youth Count possible. We could not have done this without you!
Stay tuned for news on our next Youth Count and other efforts to end and prevent youth homelessness in Maryland, including a new Maryland Youth Homelessness Symposium! We encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter at the links at the bottom of this page for continued updates on Youth REACH MD.
The Department of Housing and Community Development, the University of Maryland School of Social Work, and the rest of the Youth REACH MD Steering Committee sincerely thanks all those continuing to support this effort to reach out, engage, and assist to end homelessness for youth in Maryland!
Youth Homelessness
Every night in America, thousands of youth are living in cars, vacant buildings or couch surfing with family or friends. We don't typically see them on the streets or in shelters. They are often doing their best to go to work or school each day, but they lack a safe, stable place to call home. The reasons are varied – some have left abusive situations, others may have left the foster care or juvenile justice systems with nowhere to go, still others were rejected by their families for who they are or their families were just no longer able to support them because of their own challenges in meeting their basic needs.
Experts agree there is a need for a coordinated and consistent approach to better understand and address youth homelessness. One of the challenges in addressing youth homelessness or housing instability is knowing how many youth and young adults are experiencing homelessness, what their experiences are like, and what are the supportive services that they need.
Youth REACH MD (Reach out, Engage, Assist, & Count to end Homelessness) is an effort to begin to address youth homelessness in Maryland by obtaining information on the number, characteristics, and needs of youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability to help inform efforts to end and prevent youth homelessness. Learn more about Youth REACH MD.
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