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| The StreetWorks Collaborative: A Continuum of Care for Homeless Youth In 1994, Freeport West, Inc., a Minneapolis/St. Paul community organization, responded to the increasing and often overlooked problem of youth homelessness in the Twin Cities region by initiating a coordinated street-based outreach program known as StreetWorks. StreetWorks is a collaborative effort among 13 youth-serving agencies that offer an array of housing options and services, including emergency shelter, transitional housing, drop-in centers, meal sites, clothing, HIV/STD prevention, medical care, mental health counseling, alcohol and chemical dependency treatment, employment opportunities, educational programs, and life skills programs 1. StreetWorks identifies homeless youth on the streets of the Twin Cities through its 33 outreach workers who canvass the streets from 2:00 p.m. to midnight every day. Because member agencies have pledged to provide easy access to their programs, outreach workers can immediately connect homeless youth with a continuum of services while building trusting relationships with these individuals that may last for years. Homeless Youth in Minnesota In October 2000 the Wilder Research Center conducted a survey of homeless youth in Minnesota that uncovered some startling realities. On any given night, 660 youth are homeless and without shelter in Minnesota; the average age that these youth first begin living on their own is 13 years. Sixty-seven percent of these youth had previous out-of-home placements in detention centers, foster care, or drug and alcohol treatment facilities and later became homeless. Twenty-three percent of the metro area homeless youth report having traded sex for shelter, food, clothing, or other necessities. A disproportionate number of homeless youth have attempted to commit suicide or have been victims of sexual abuse or domestic violence in a relationship. A national study conducted in 1998 found that the single factor that correlated most highly with youth prostitution was having been on the streets for more than 30 days. In addition, homeless women are more than seven percent more likely than the average woman to have a child by age 20. The Cry for Help The different challenges facing homeless adults versus homeless youth and the limited resources of most homeless programs result in a national homeless system primarily targeted toward adults. In many cases, programs work under the assumption that the needs of homeless youth can be more effectively addressed through child welfare or child protection agencies. Unfortunately, it is not at all uncommon for older children and young adults to slip through the cracks. Even those children of whom the state is aware - youth aging out of foster care and juvenile delinquent placements - are often inadequately prepared for self-sufficiency. Many youth are homeless because they escaped physical or sexual abuse at home; simply providing affordable housing or shelter will not help them become healthy or productive citizens. Many lack independent living skills or are dealing with emotional or mental health problems that result from abuse or neglect. "The needs of this population," said Richard Wayman, Director of StreetWorks, "are different than the shelter, housing, and supportive service needs of single adults or families." The Twin Cities region is one of the few regions in the country that recognizes and appropriately serves the distinct and separate needs of unaccompanied, homeless youth. Furthermore, the StreetWorks collaborative is one of the few programs supported by Continuum of Care that addresses the gamut of problems that face homeless youth. The StreetWorks Model The StreetWorks model pairs outreach workers together for scheduled periods of "street work" in specific geographic areas. During these periods, the outreach workers conduct crisis intervention, supply basic assistance, and build relationships. Outreach workers do not conduct long-term case management but rather act as a "conveyor belt" toward supportive services and housing options. The workers gain identity on the street by carrying what has become
known simply as the "green bag", a duffel bag that youth come
to recognize as a mark of someone who can offer assistance. Contents
of the bag include resources commonly needed by youth on the streets:
food vouchers, bus tokens, change for phone calls, condoms, first aid
supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste, snacks such as granola or candy
bars, feminine hygiene products, duct tape, and basic clothing items.
The bag also includes the tools of the outreach worker: business cards,
pamphlets about available resources for homeless youth, and listings
of all available youth services, addresses, and telephone numbers. In 2001 StreetWorks outreach workers made new contacts with over 19,000 youth and reached out to a total of over 32,000 youth. Of those, 874 were helped by StreetWorks to achieve the following outcomes:
StreetWorks combines the resources of member agencies to reach more clients and increase the visibility of available programs and services to homeless youth. The StreetWorks collaborative is a model that can be replicated in any community where organizations share the dual goal of reaching youth on the streets and providing services to enhance youth stability and independence.
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