L.A. County Reserves $5 Million for Program to Reduce Youth Homelessness

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to set aside $5 million toward programs aimed at reducing homelessness among Los Angeles County youth.

Supervisor Hilda Solis said homeless kids are often invisible.

“Homeless youth form a group that is not as visible as other groups. It is often assumed that once they leave school or work, they go home,” Solis said. “But, for too many, that is simply not the case.”

Solis and Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, who co-authored the proposal, said they believe investing in solutions now could prevent runaways and other youths living on the streets from becoming the chronic homeless of the future.

“If we are serious about ending our homeless crisis, we have to focus on preventing people from falling into homelessness in the first place,” Kuehl said.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness has estimated there are about 1.7 million runaways or homeless youth under the age of 18 nationwide. There are roughly 6,150 homeless youths in Los Angeles County, according to estimates by the Los Angeles Coalition to End Youth Homelessness.

Foster children transitioning to adulthood are at particular risk of ending up homeless.

One-quarter of former foster youth surveyed by the Alliance reported that they had been homeless at least one night within 2 1/2 to four years after leaving the foster care system.

Children living on the street are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation.

County officials are awaiting a report with specific recommendations from the Homeless Prevention Initiative before dictating exactly how the money will be spent. Solis and Kuehl said youth would benefit from drop-in centers, emergency, transitional and permanent supportive housing, as well as educational support and job training.

--City News Service, photo via Pixabay