RHY Awareness Month
NYC Department of Youth & Community Development
Supporting NYC youth and their families by funding a wide range of high-quality youth and community development programs
November is Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Awareness and Prevention Month. It is also a season of gratitude, so in this spirit, I want to give a heartfelt thank you to the RHY service provider community and to celebrate all we accomplished in the past year and a half.
We are resilient.
Throughout the pause necessitated by COVID-19, providers continued to support youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. We never stopped.
We are resourceful.
During the pandemic, new ways of communicating and supporting youth were implemented—quickly and creatively. Innovations include conducting virtual face-to-face counseling and creating virtual spaces to build community among peers. As a result, the RHY providers not only supported youth in NYC, but expanded their reach across the nation. Capacity expanded for homeless young adults (21 to 24 years old), as we opened the final site and ensured that all 60 beds are available.
We are fierce.
In July, while we were still on pause due to the pandemic, DYCD received long-awaited access to permanent housing! We started a pilot for CityFHEPS in partnership with NYC Department of Social Services (DSS) and thanks to a City Council bill. One month later, 600 United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Emergency Housing Vouchers were made available to the RHY community. The allocation included resources to fund housing navigators who are currently working with young people to find apartments and guide them through the leasing process.
Service expansion continued with mental health hubs now offering services at drop-in centers with funding from the Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health.
The service expansion came during the welcomed and long-anticipated award of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project (YHDP), a $15 million investment from HUD that offers NYC a process and opportunity to prevent and end youth homelessness. The best part is that young people with lived experiences of homelessness are at the planning table and are a crucial part of decision-making. This community is striving to work in partnership with youth and young adults and to ensure that their needs are centered in the work.
I am grateful to be part of this resilient, resourceful, and fierce RHY community. Together, we are strong. Together, we will continue to make a change.
– Tracey Thorne, Director, Runaway & Homeless Youth Services (RHY) Vulnerable and Special Needs Youth Unit, NYC Department of Youth and Community Development