OHY’s youth crisis response grants are intended to be the lowest barrier and most easily accessible resources in OHY’s service continuum. They are often a young person’s first contact with homelessness services.
Services focus on interventions that address immediate needs such as providing emergency supplies (e.g., food, clothing, first aid, hygiene supplies), conducting individual needs assessments, and connecting young people to relevant resources (e.g., shelter, housing, medical care, counseling).
Like all OHY funded programs services are offered through a progressive engagement approach, meaning services offered should align with the individual’s needs. Crisis response programs are not limited to addressing immediate concerns. If needed long term services aren’t available from other programs or providers, program should provide additional services such as case management and financial assistance to fill the service gap and support the goal of securing safe and stable housing.
Street outreach services are designed to proactively identify youth (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-24) who currently live or are at risk of living outdoors, in a location that is unsafe or not intended for human habitation, couch surfing or being doubled up. Outreach activities many occur within site-based programs but primarily seek connection with isolated individuals that other programs are not reaching. This requires staff to travel to places frequented by the focus population such as city sidewalks, parks, bus stations, greenbelts, etc.
Services emphasize engagement, rapport building and minimizing barriers to accessing needed resources. Programs are encouraged to provide services to individuals that appear to meet eligibility criteria even before any formal enrollment in the program. Positive outcome goals include transitioning youth and young adults from living unsheltered to accessing day centers or overnight shelters.
Street outreach programs may be funded through the following grants:
- Street Outreach Services, see SOS OHY Program Guidelines (PDF)
- Functional Zero, see FZ OHY Program Guidelines (PDF) and Communities for Functional Zero
- Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), see OHY’s YHDP webpage and Youth Lead Project OHY Program Guidelines (PDF)
Drop-in centers, or day shelters, are facilities providing basic needs items and services to youth and young adults who come and go on their own volition, without appointment, during regular daytime and evening hours of operation. Many centers include multiple services onsite such as hot meals, showers, laundry, recreation, individual case management, education and employment support.
Drop-in center general operations may be funded through the following grants:
- Street Outreach Services, see SOS OHY Program Guidelines (PDF)
- Functional Zero, see FZ OHY Program Guidelines (PDF) and Communities for Functional Zero
Also see Youth Supportive Services for information on OHY grants that fund many services that may be provided within drop-in centers.
Emergency shelters provide immediate, overnight shelter and basic needs items to young adults who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. Program models vary regarding hours of operation and admission criteria based on needs, lottery, first come/first serve, etc. Providers must be flexible in required types of documentation required but must verify age prior to admission. Programs offer assistance transitioning from emergency shelter to transitional or long-term housing options.
OHY funds shelters serving young adults (ages 18-24) through the following grants:
- Young Adult Shelter, see YAS OHY Program Guidelines (PDF)
- Functional Zero, see FZ OHY Program Guidelines (PDF) and Communities for Functional Zero
Emergency overnight shelters serving youth under age 18 are licensed through the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) as an Overnight Youth Shelter for either ages 13-17 or 16-21.
OHY does not have grants specifically designed for operating Overnight Youth Shelters. However, OHY funds may be used towards operational costs of daytime drop-in center services co-located with Overnight Youth Shelters or towards therapeutic services provided within any licensed overnight program for youth. See Youth Residential Programs for more information on grants available for programs serving youth (ages 12-17).
Diversion is a brief intervention strategy designed as an alternative resource to needing to access the homelessness response system. It is a person-centered and strength-based approach that uses creative, problem-solving conversations to generate housing solutions and includes flexible funding to implement those solutions when needed.
All OHY grants include flexible funding that can be used towards addressing individual needs and whenever possible, help prevent young people from needing longer term services. Providers are encouraged to utilize diversion practices within any program and familiarize themselves with how to assist young people in accessing centralized diversion funds available locally.
OHY partners with Building Changes to coordinate centralized diversion programs with grants for fiscal administrators who verify eligibility criteria and fulfill funding requests from various service providers within their designated community.
Fiscal administration of centralized diversion programs may be funded through the following grants:
- Homelessness Prevention & Diversion Fund is available in communities participating in OHY’s Functional Zero efforts. See HPDF Fiscal Administrator OHY Program Guidelines (PDF) and Communities for Functional Zero.
- Youth Diversion Infrastructure Project (YDIP) is dedicated to serving youth and young adults exiting publicly funded systems of care. See Youth Diversion Infrastructure Project – Building Changes