Homeless Youth Are Safer at Home

Community Collaboration Provides Integrated Care for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

by Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County

The mantra of Spring 2020 was “Safer at Home”.

By the summer, many of us were longing to be anywhere BUT home.

I appreciated the ability to work from my lanai with my trusted pup Ike by my side (and in the background of most of my Zoom meetings). As the weeks dragged on, however, my appreciation was sometimes overshadowed by cabin fever.

What brings me back to a sense of appreciation is pondering the question:  If we are safer at home, what is it like for those in Charlotte County who don’t have a home?

Some folks in Charlotte County are currently living with family, crashing on a friend’s couch, or using their vehicle as shelter.

How many of these individuals and families would be grateful to comply with Safer at Home orders if it meant they had a place to call home? The number who struggle with maintaining housing is only going to increase in the coming months.

The United Way of Charlotte County-funded Community Collaboration previously known as Ending Chronic Homelessness has been preparing to evolve their mission to serve unaccompanied youth in addition to continuing their progress with adults who are defined as chronically homeless.

Ending Youth & Chronic Homelessness is a collaboration between Gulf Coast Partnership, Charlotte County Homeless Coalition, Virginia B. Andes Volunteer Community Clinic, and Charlotte Behavioral Health Care. Through an integrated care approach, multiple factors are addressed that can cause and extend homelessness and crisis. The Collaboration simultaneously works on mental health, medical care, pharmacy services, housing, and increasing financial resources.

Suzanne Roberts, CEO of Virginia B. Andes, said that many of these individuals, “don’t know how to care for themselves. We’re helping them learn how to do that. Even pre-COVID it was difficult for them.”

The Collaboration’s move into adding unaccompanied homeless youth, ages 18 to 24, to their program’s focus came just in time.

Most often, youth become homeless because of abuse, neglect or other trauma at home. This year has brought chaos and uncertainty that has exacerbated those situations for many, leading to a foreseeable increase in the number of youth who no longer feel safer at home.

People experiencing homelessness are often expected to navigate a complicated maze of programs and achieve specific milestones to get connected to housing and support services. Many adults find the process confusing and overwhelming. Youth likely do not know the first step to get started.

Charlotte County Homeless Coalition has recently welcomed unaccompanied youth in their shelter and have already had success in housing one of them. While they are legal adults, they lack life experience. Without a strong support system, they can easily fall through the cracks. Homeless Coalition CEO Tina Figliulo said, “That age range is quite vulnerable.”

This new focus for the Collaboration will undoubtedly lead to a comprehensive response that ensures unaccompanied youth homelessness is a rare, brief, and one-time experience.

United Way of Charlotte County is pleased to support Ending Youth & Chronic Homelessness with local donor dollars for another year, as they guide many youth to the opportunity to once again be safer at home.

For more information, please visit www.unitedwayccfl.org/videos or call the United Way of Charlotte County at 941-627-3539. Mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty. Angie Matthiessen is the Executive Director of United Way of Charlotte County. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.