300 youth experiencing homelessness in Sonoma County
Nonprofit Nook: Social Advocates for Youth — NOVEMBER 2020
How many young people living without shelter is too many? Hopefully your answer is zero. I certainly can’t imagine what it would feel like to have to navigate the current pandemic, recent fires, and overbearing heatwaves that have converged almost simultaneously in our county during the last few months. Pile on top of that the difficulty of simply finding necessities like clean water, food, and a bathroom and this feels like an insurmountable feat. But for 300 people under the age of 25 across Sonoma County, this is a daily reality.
There is hope, especially knowing that last year, the number of homeless youth was almost twice as large. Thanks in part to one-time emergency funding allocated by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, local non-profits like Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) were able to expand their outreach program and extend services to even more young people. It’s clearly making a difference.
I’ve proudly served both as a board member and as an advocate for SAY for a total of six years, so I can share from first-hand experience how much sweat and compassion have been invested (alongside those vital dollars!) in reaching vulnerable youth and families across the county. And I want to stress that ‘vulnerable youth’ means so much more than the 300 who are on the streets. We’re also talking about young people who don’t have work-ready skills, who are experiencing mental health challenges, or who are barely making the rent from month-to-month even with two minimum wage jobs.
In 2020 alone, SAY has helped more than 1,200 teens and young adults find jobs, receive mental health care, and secure stable housing through their four programs: Housing, Counseling, Careers, and Youth Crisis Services. This number doesn’t even include those who are living on the streets and have received necessities such as food and hygiene kits from SAY’s traveling Street Outreach team.
The impact of these programs is far greater than focusing solely on shelter. The wraparound services that SAY provides to vulnerable young people supports them in becoming stabilized and developing the skills necessary to grow into confident, self-sufficient adults. It’s what anyone would want for their own children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or other young adults in their circle. Unfortunately, the extra funding SAY received last year has not been renewed. This means they will have less money for these vital programs.
You can help SAY reach out to these young people by joining their 3-40 Campaign, which runs from now until December 1st. All donations will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000, thanks to the incredible generosity of the John Jordan Foundation, the Do-Gooder Fund, and St. Joseph Health. By donating to this campaign your investment will have double the impact.
Now is the time for each one of us to focus on a brighter tomorrow. Can you join me in dreaming of the same for the youth in our community?.
Contact Info:
For more information about SAY, check out saysc.org
To donate to the 3-40 Campaign:
www.justgiving.com/campaign/3Forty
Follow Say: https://www.facebook.com/saysc
