This March, the Washtenaw County Continuum of Care (CoC) released a press statement announcing the county’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project, a $4.2 million program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, helping end youth homelessness. According to the press release, the funding for this project will create services and housing for youth and young adults under the age of 25.
The CoC is a collaborative body of organizations and individuals dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Washtenaw County. The organization is comprised of the Non-profit organizations:
- Michigan Ability Partners
- OZone House
- Avalon Housing
- SOS Community Services
- Interfaith Hospitality Network (not a direct recipient of the funding*)
- Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
- Housing Access for Washtenaw County
According to Danielle Zochowski, OZone House Associate Director, this program provides services to 150 young adults annually, with expanding resources. Zochowski said half of the 4.2 million is direct assistance that pays for housing for young people.
“The thought with the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program is that we can infuse communities with additional funding to try to catch young people before they have longer terms of homelessness and chronic homelessness,” Zochowski said. “ This program can support CoCs across the nation in avoiding issues like people who have had longer histories of homelessness before they receive services. We are trying to add resources upstream to a younger population to hopefully not experience long-term homelessness.”
The project, led by Ozone House, which was the lead applicant for the funding, said the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program will break into a supportive services only project, which assists in support such as eviction prevention; the second service is its transitional Rapid Rehousing program, an emergency shelter stay, but you can stay for up to 24 months.
“That transitional housing time of 24 months is where we do life skills, talk about budgets, cleanliness, and landlord-tenant relationships,” Zochowski said. They also begin paying bills. Rent for your first month in transitional housing is $50, and by the time you exit, it increases to up to $400. You do not get kicked out if you do not pay your rent. The money is deposited into a savings account, and you receive 100% of it back upon exit. So it is not true rent, but it is a start to learning how to pay your bills.”
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In addition to the CoC, additional orgs joining the assistance are The Washtenaw Housing Alliance (WHA), which will provide items such as housing vouchers and beds for Rapid Rehousing. The Corner Health Center will also assist with health support services.
According to Zochowski, while the program will assist over 150 individuals, the first four referrals were accepted in early April. Two referrals for Ozone House and two referrals for pregnant and parenting teens in the Ypsilanti-based community, Our House will provide support through resources and guidance.
“Even with new funding and service expansion, there is still a need, and our homeless system is not stable right now. There are many funding risks for permanent housing,” Zochowski said. “Young people say they’re homeless, need assistance with housing. We get together, offer support and housing resources. The goal of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program is to improve the system. How can we make this process smoother and reduce barriers for young people accessing services?”
Antonio Cooper is a freelance journalist from Detroit, Michigan. His coverage of music festivals and interviews with local celebrities appeared in The E-Current Magazine, The Detroit Metro Times, XXL Magazine, RichMagDigital, The Ann Arbor Observer, and Pop Magazine.
