Public Awareness Campaign Launched To Help Homeless Youth in MA

The Baker-Polito Administration, along with the MA Commission on Unaccompanied and Homeless Youth, has announced the launch of “Path to Help”, which is a statewide public awareness campaign that encourages youth and young adults without a safe or stable place to stay to self-identify when they need help and connect to trustworthy and reliable resources designed to support them. Two available such resources are: calling 211 or visiting mass.gov/PathToHelp.

Working to prevent and end youth homelessness in Massachusetts...

This is the first statewide campaign in the nation that is directed at youth experiencing homelessness or housing instability. “Path to Help” will run through the holidays into January to raise awareness and support for programs that work to prevent and end youth homelessness in Massachusetts.

$8 million to provide emergency shelter and housing, outreach...

The Homeless Youth Awareness and Connection Campaign is part of the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services implementation of the  MA Plan to End Youth Homelessness.

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The Executive Office of Health and Human Services this year dedicated  $8 million to provide emergency shelter and housing, outreach, case management, prevention, and housing stabilization, college support, and other vital services to this vulnerable population.

Emergency shelter and housing set aside for young adults...

According to a press release from the Massachusetts Office of Health and Human Services, every region in Massachusetts has emergency shelter space and housing set aside specifically for young adults, in addition to the existing adult shelter system.  A complete list of locations of young adult emergency beds and housing stabilization supports can be found HERE.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders:

The time between the moment a young person finds themselves without a safe or stable place to stay and the moment they reach out for help can be an extremely scary and vulnerable time... We want young adults to know there are options other than a couch, a park bench, or the back seat of a car, and there are supports available to get them on a path towards stability.

The yearly numbers can't be argued with... as approximately 3,800 unaccompanied youth and young adults are identified in Massachusetts as experiencing homelessness every single year.