Escamilla-Davies shares personal story motivating her RHY work
Sandra Escamilla-Davies of DYCD shares a personal story about finding her uncle living on the streets with HIV and crack addiction, which shaped her commitment to social work and building ecosystems that prevent disconnection and create pathways back for young people.
Good afternoon, Chair Stevens and members of the Committee on Children and Youth.
My name is Sandra Escamilla-Davies of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, and I am joined here today by Executive Deputy Commissioner Susan Haskell, Assistant Commissioner
Samantha Dawkins, and Tracy Thorne, Senior Director of Runaway Homeless Youth Programs.
We are pleased to discuss the effectiveness of the city's runaway homeless youth shelter system today.
And thank you, Chair Stevens, for the opportunity to testify today.
This issue is deeply personal to me.
More than 35 years ago, I found a beloved uncle who was a young adult himself at the time, living on the streets, HIV positive, and struggling with crack addiction.
I grew up in a close home and family, and until then, I did not fully understand how a series of events could disconnect someone from the very family, community, and systems of support that might
Otherwise, hold them up.
That experience was transformational for me.
It shaped my decision to enter social work and my belief that our responsibility is not simply to respond once someone is in crisis.
We have to build an ecosystem around children, young people, and families that helps prevent those disconnection,
creates pathways back when they occur, and provides the relationship, resources, and opportunities people need not only to stabilize, but to succeed and thrive.
Being free from crisis is essential, but it is not the same as being fully prepared for what comes next.