Wilson questions on cash payment programs for youth homelessness prevention

There have been some organizations that have advocated for targeting housing assistance programs that consist of one-time cash payments.

To youth at risk of homelessness along with housing navigation and financial coaching and other forms of guidance in order to prevent youth homelessness.

Just curious your opinions on the efficiency of that method and if that's something that's ever been considered.

That's a great question.

Thank you for that.

There's been a few pilots for young people who are experiencing homelessness, and

it's any resource that could help prevent homelessness and to support young people and to kind of...

Relieve the stress burden that they're experiencing by offering cash is a good idea.

But at this moment, there's no program that DYCD is working on, is undergoing right now.

The pilots that you mentioned, where have those taken place in the city here?

Yeah, they were partnerships with CBOs, and one was the Trust Youth Initiative with Alifone Center and Point Source Youth, and then Point Source Youth is also working on other

groups, and then there's one at Covenant House.

And I've just told you just about all I know about how they're going.

But, yeah, it's a good resource.

In theory.

And I'll say again, coming in, obviously, and still being new and still being planning, I think that ideas like that and pile initiatives are very smart.

I think, again, in terms of the framing, as I put it down, when we look at sort of the drivers of homelessness and housing insecurity, and especially as that's broken down by race and socioeconomic status, direct assistance is what people need across the spectrum.

And so I think, you know, we certainly have to be smart about that in terms of like when we say direct cash, but does that mean working directly with landlords or having contracts with specific

housing projects or creating those housing projects where we have sort of the direct ability to fund those things to make sure that people have the stability they need.

But again, also tying into that pilot initiative and those kinds of programs, what I'm understanding is generally described as wraparound services.

Moving people towards independence and self-sustainability.

So that means ensuring that people have the educational opportunities, have the employment opportunities to eventually become self-sufficient.

But I will say just hearing like a one-time shot, and I think there's something, there's programs like that, I think it requires a more sustained investment.

Thank you.

Okay, back to DSS.