Chair Stevens overview of RHY shelter system and services

So now, welcome to today's hearing on Children and Youth Committee.

I am Althea Stevens, the chair of the committee.

Thank you for joining us today's hearing, where this committee will conduct an oversight on the city's runaway and homeless youth shelter system.

The city's Department of Youth and Community Development contracts with a range of crisis service shelters, transition independent living shelters, street outreach team, 24-7 drop-in centers across the five boroughs.

Today, those programs provide a range of critical services to runaway and homeless youth.

Street outreach teams canvass the city to identify youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, while drop-in centers provide young people with a place to access food, clothing, housing, health care, and transportation, as well as

assistance from housing and employment navigations.

Crisis centers then provide temporary shelters for youth for up to 120 days.

While transitional independent living programs provide long-term housing for up to 24 months for young people towards stability and gain independent living services and build economic self-sufficiency,