City of Oklahoma City, OK
08/02/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/02/2022 12:45
City of OKC awards HUD funding to metro nonprofits aimed to prevent and end youth homelessness
The City of Oklahoma City was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to participate in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), which awarded the City more than $3 million in community funding.
Sisu Youth Services and HOPE Community Services, Inc. will receive most of that funding for projects specifically focused to prevent or end youth homelessness in OKC.
"We are honored to be selected by HUD to participate in the YHDP," said Lindsay Cates, senior planner for the City of OKC. "Youth in Oklahoma have historically faced adversity, and we are grateful to work with organizations like Sisu and HOPE that continue to help youth overcome that adversity. We envision OKC as a place where every youth and young adult has access to proactive, preventive services and a choice of prompt, safe and low-barrier housing options."
Sisu was awarded $990,000 annually through 2023 for youth-focus projects like a drop-in center, host homes program, transitional housing and rapid re-housing.
"Sisu Youth Services is thrilled to be a recipient of the YHDP community funding. This is an incredible opportunity to dramatically increase the scale of the services we provide - like expanding our drop-in center from 18 hours to 161 hours per week," said Rachel Bradley, executive director of Sisu. "The expansion will provide a low-barrier safe space for young people at all hours of the day and night. This investment in Sisu's work is especially meaningful because it came at the recommendation of the Oklahoma City Youth Action Board, some of whom are Sisu alumni."
HOPE will receive $150,000 in 2022 and 2023 for diversion and family engagement support to serve unaccompanied youth with case management services. This project is one of the first of its kind within the Children and Youth Program at HOPE and in south OKC.
"We are excited for this opportunity to collaborate with Oklahoma City on this diversion program," said LaKeisha Lewis-Vick, LPC-S, Children and Youth Program Director for HOPE. "This provides an opportunity to help youth identify direct and indirect barriers. We will assist in addressing those barriers to support the youth's independence, while using funding to assist them in maintaining current housing by addressing certain financial needs."
The final portion of the YHDP funding provides salaries to the City's Youth Action Board (YAB), which consists of youth and young adults with lived experience of homelessness, housing instability or foster care and two adult advisors. The YAB was a key stakeholder in the YHDP project selection.
"Having lived experiences in youth homeless sheds a light on what changes need to be made," said Dillynn Hanson, YAB co-ambassador. "And only those with that expertise can recognize the struggles that not having those changes can bring."
"By acknowledging the importance of youth voice through utilizing the YAB, I believe it brings positive change to the outcome of a project," said Dane Valentine, YAB co-ambassador. "Who better to understand the need of homeless youth than someone with recent experience."
City Council approved the distribution of these funds Aug. 2. Projects from Sisu and HOPE begin later this year.
YHDP is one of the first dedicated federal initiatives that funds permanent housing programs for youth and focuses on building local coordinated systems for responding to youth homelessness. This funding program is only available to up to 25 communities nationwide, and OKC was the first city in Oklahoma to receive funding.
To read the complete Coordinated Community Plan, which the City submitted to receive the YHDP funding, click here.
###
Media Contact:
Kristy Yager
(405) 297-2550