Report Finds National Cash Assistance Program Prevents Youth Homelessness
Summary
Point Source Youth’s Targeted Housing Assistance Program provides young people who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless with a one-time cash payment with the goal of stabilizing their housing situation and preventing homelessness from the start. Point Source Youth served 345 16-26 year olds at risk of homelessness across seven states, including New York, California, Texas, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Oregon, partnering with eight local service providers. A joint report with Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health found that the program successfully prevented youth homelessness.
The program was designed with the understanding that every young person’s challenges and needs are unique, and each participant works with a local service provider to develop a housing plan to meet their particular needs and to help stabilize their housing crisis.
22-year-old Valeria Mendoza had to couch surf from the age of 12, but she didn’t let her early struggles get in the way of her dream to graduate from college. She told herself that every day she woke up was one day closer to making that dream a reality. When that day finally arrived and she had graduated from the University of Arizona, she found herself suddenly in a housing crisis. During college, her housing was fully funded by a scholarship, but once she graduated she had nowhere to go. She feverishly applied to jobs, but each prospective employer required full-time work experience, which she did not yet have. At this time, she was a volunteer at Youth On Their Own, a Pima County organization that supports youth experiencing housing insecurity. She was supporting the organization in finding applicants for the Targeted Housing Assistance Program when she was suddenly at risk of losing her own housing and became a recipient herself.
Valeria describes the program as “life changing.” She relied not only on the cash but on the support and community the program opened to her. “Just meeting other people that were going through similar situations as me made me feel like I wasn’t alone.” Valeria is now working full time and is focused on supporting underserved populations like the homeless, Spanish-speaking communities, and youth on their own.
90% of the recipients who completed a follow-up survey one month after receiving the cash reported being stably housed.
The Targeted Housing Assistance Program is especially effective for young people who are already working but have fallen behind on their rent due to unforeseen circumstances. For many served by the Targeted Housing Assistance Program, the one-time cash infusion meant the difference between staying in their home and experiencing homelessness.
As of January 2025, the program served 345 participant households with a total of 623 total people including children and other family members across seven states.
95% of respondents stabilized their current housing or found new housing while others reported reunifying with family or friends.
Point Source Youth partnered with Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health to publish the report findings. Initial research indicates this program is an efficient way to address housing insecurity by preventing homelessness from the start.
Conclusion
Our initial findings demonstrate that the program served its purpose of keeping the participants out of homelessness and in secure living situations. Point Source Youth hopes to continue expanding the program in its current partner communities and across the country, and continues to engage with Johns Hopkins University on program research and additional data documenting three- and six-month housing outcomes will be available in Summer 2025.
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