The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program was launched by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2017 to fund innovative solutions in communities across the country. It brings together service providers, government, schools, child welfare agencies, and youth to create a system-wide strategy to prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness.
The program has 5 primary objectives:
- Building national momentum
- Evaluating the coordinated community approach
- Expanding capacity
- Evaluating performance measures
- Establishing a framework for federal program and TA collaboration
In the first round of the program in 2017, Housing and Urban Development granted $33 million to 10 communities committed to ending youth homelessness. In 2018, Nashville was one of 11 communities granted a total of $43 million. Nashville received $3.54 million to fund our efforts.
The Nashville community had already been working to end youth homelessness through the 2016 Key Action Plan. This program gives our community more resources to continue to build upon this plan. This effort has been lead by the Office of Homeless Services and local youth-serving nonprofit Oasis Center. Together, these agencies and the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Continuum of Care Youth and Young Adults Committee, Youth Action Board, and Homelessness Planning Council have worked together to create Nashville’s first Coordinated Community Plan to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness.
The Coordinated Community Plan lays out a vision, needs analysis, strategic framework, goals, and action steps for Nashville as we work towards ending youth and young adult homelessness. It plans for the use of our Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program funds while also detailing a broader approach for the steps we must take across the community.