Many of the efforts to address homelessness in Central New York focus on adults, but the Salvation Army's Street Outreach program tries to engage with the overlooked youth population.
Youth often don’t identify themselves as homeless, so it can be hard for organizations to find them and offer help. But the Salvation Army has developed a working approach. Program supervisor of the Partnership for Youth and Family Intervention, Marett Seymour, said they’re getting on the street in a way they’ve never done before.
“They’ve been very strategic. They fill up a cooler of water with ice and they go out to the parks and they go connect with kids there and they bring them snacks and hygiene products. Those are very good ways to get kids to talk with you about what’s going on for them,” Seymour said.
They also connect with teens through referrals from schools or community centers. Seymour said they were recently able to help a young woman they knew previously through the Boys and Girls Club. She had wanted her own apartment since she was 15 due to family problems.
“Homelessness was an issue for her and her family for years. We got her into our shelter upstairs. The case manager upstairs worked with her very, very hard on finding her an apartment. She also found employment during that time. She signed back up for school. She’s told us that her plan is to get her GED and go to OCC. She wants to be a lawyer, which I think she’ll be super good at because she likes to argue a lot,” Seymour said.
Many teens are in a similar situation, facing struggles with their families that can lead to homelessness. Seymour says sometimes this means they’re on their own before they’re legally allowed to be.
“We’ve seen an increase in 17 year olds who are on the cusp of turning 18, whose parents and family member are like ‘we’re not going to be responsible for you anymore’, so we’re trying to work with them on a plan to be in safe housing,” Seymour said.
There are two people on the Salvation Army Street Outreach Team, and Seymour said they’re adding two more. But she said the public can also support their efforts. She said anyone who suspects a youth might be homeless should call 211, which will patch the caller through to the Salvation Army.