Youth Homelessness

I got involved with DCAYA during my first couple of months as a metro area couch surfer in early 2007. I stayed involved, for the most part, up until the day I was packing the last of my belongings (seriously, I called in for my last Youth Homelessness Committee meeting while the movers were loading up my stuff). I arrived in DC, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to pursue my passion of DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0

Last week we released the findings of our youth homelessness study, From the streets to stability: A study of youth homelessness in the District of Columbia. This study is a ground breaking effort for the District in achieving a depth of understanding on the factors that lead our youth to homelessness, keep them from achieving stability and opportunities our community can leverage to propel DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0

This week's blogpost is from Justin, a local 24 year who identifies as "homeless". Please take some time to read his story as we reflect on the issue of youth homelessness during the month of November (and year round!).The night was beyond cold. It must have been in the low twenties. I didn’t have a watch, but I think it was around two o’clock. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I had about four DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0

November is YOUTH HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS MONTH! In honor of this occurrence, DCAYA is lucky enough to have a string of guest bloggers from our membership to report on the many different facets of youth homelessness that exist in the District.This week Covenant House's own Dan Brannen shares his opinion on the importance of investing in young people's transition into adulthood. Special thanks to DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0

Since the launch of the Huffington Post's Impact section (as well as HuffPost DC) we sure have been reading HuffPo a bit more here at the DCAYA offices! HuffPo Impact traditionally covers issues like homelessness, volunteering, and philanthropy, but this week the bloggers chose also to feature a slideshow of organizations that help underserved young people. The slideshow featured a ranking of DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0

Tuesday afternoon Council Member Michael Brown took to the steps of the Wilson Building to bring attention to the on-going crisis of teen pregnancy in the District. Though DCAYA does not cover the issue of teen pregnancy in the same we do our four main issue areas, teen pregnancy is a large contributor to many of the issues we do cover.According to the DC Department of Health Statistics the 2008 DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0

DC Alliance of Youth Advocateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03306370153297288203noreply@blogger.com0