MORE THAN 3.5 MILLION YOUTH IN THE U.S. EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS EACH YEAR.
Our Mission.
Point Source Youth envisions a world where all young people can enjoy the right to safety, stability, and joy. We believe that youth should be trusted to direct their own lives and that leadership by and advancement of the young people most impacted by the crisis of homelessness is paramount.
We further believe that our society has a moral obligation to collectively amass ample resources to end youth homelessness. To that end, we work alongside communities and partners to uplift the power of young people, especially historically marginalized young people by advancing meaningful and affirming solutions to end youth homelessness and place resources directly in their hands.
In PSY’s Vision of the world…
The organization will be known for implementing new, and improving existing, programs and interventions so that the power of young people is uplifted by advancing meaningful and affirming solutions that place resources directly in their hands.
We will provide community, affirmation, and a safe space for service providers, funders, youth, allied movements, and policy makers to experiment, explore, and innovate.
As a group that demands hope, acts with courage and integrity, and builds real and lasting connections among the extended national and local youth homelessness community, we will ensure that youth homelessness will become rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Our Values
Youth
We center and prioritize youth that are currently, or historically have been, systemically marginalized. We co-create safe, affirming, and equitable environments for meaningful youth collaboration to take place
Freedom & Liberation
We believe we are not free unless everyone is free. We use anti-racist, trauma-informed, and healing-centered practices in our internal and external work.
A Sustainable & Restful Workplace
We know that self-care, rest, and reflective time are crucial to building a sustainable workplace and maintaining a sustained workforce. Therefore, we strive to provide the resources and systems needed for care and rest. We are a trauma-informed organization and act accordingly.
These values encapsulate Point Source Youth’s core ethics, guiding principles, and worldview. Point Source Youth recognizes that some of our values remain aspirational and we commit to doing the deep work to bring them fully into practice, manifestation, and operation
Thought Leadership
We understand that the youth homelessness crisis is part of a larger movement for equity and social justice. We work to uplift, expand and support local, community and grassroots solutions through thought leadership and advocacy.
Advocacy & Systems Change
We believe ending youth homelessness won’t happen without structural change. We work to dismantle the root causes that inform and maintain the youth homelessness crisis while decreasing the barriers for communities to implement innovative, affirming solutions to end youth homelessness.
Internal Accountability & Support
We believe that accountability and transparency are critical to ensuring that we are continuously working in service of our mission. We work to always uplift and center collaboration and transparency within our organization. We continue to make and strengthen space for critical feedback and we co-create, safe and affirming systems of accountability.
We work to scale-up affirming youth-centered solutions to end this crisis .
youth-centered interventions
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We currently provide support for Rapid Re-Housing, Host Homes, Direct Cash Transfers, and Family/Kinship Strengthening interventions. These programs center youth choice and empower young people to make vital decisions that positively impact their lives. We conduct research and program evaluation with all of our partners to collect data on the effectiveness of these interventions for youth that can be used to assist agencies nationwide in receiving grant funds in the future.
Regional expertise
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We believe in the power of local change, so our team of technical assistance experts both live and work in the regions in which they serve. We currently have technical assistance experts in the Northeast, South, Rural and West Coast who, through trust and collaboration, use regional expertise to empower communities on the ground working to end youth homelessness.
our
partners
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We work with amazing service providers and youth advocates across the country on innovative solutions to help end youth homelessness. Our partners share our core values and prioritize serving the most marginalized youth, including LGBTQ youth and youth of color. To learn more about how to partner with PSY, join us on our quarterly Rockstar Collaborative Webinars, download a free copy of our Host Home Handbook and Rapid Re-Housing Handbook, or email us at programs@pointsourceyouth.org to connect with the support you need.
we provide support, resources and trainings
Advocacy & Community support
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We help build community support for programs by working with youth advocates, assembling local leaders, and assisting with funding meetings. We help programs identify solutions by bringing together larger networks of leaders working together to end youth homelessness to create change from the local level up.
technical assistance & evaluation
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We provide intensive, technical assistance to help with program funding and implementation, hiring/training staff, ongoing support, and troubleshooting, connecting with field experts and other providers, and access to a growing resource library and program handbooks.
Trainings, deep dives &
resources
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We provide virtual trainings and supports for communities working to end youth homelessness on topics such as: Maximizing Youth Choice, Centering & Serving Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous & Youth of Color, Trauma-Informed Care, Adultism & Authentic Youth Engagement, and more.